2006 Proof 50p Gold Coin Victoria Cross (2 coin) Boxed

The Royal Mint released two Fifty Pence gold proof coins to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the institution of the Victoria Cross. 2,000 of each coin were produced, with half issued as single proof coins and half in sets like this one.

These two proof 50p coins come boxed with a certificate of authentication, as pictured to the left.

The Victoria Cross is the highest award available in the British military. It is given for gallantry - usually to those who sacrificed themselves. It is named after Queen Victoria; the monarch who granted Royal Assent to the proposal.

On the obverse of these coins is Queen Elizabeth II's fourth portrait, designed by Ian Rank-Broadley and used between 1998 and 2015. The reverse designs are detailed below:.

Heroic Acts - by sculptor Clive Duncan.

The first coin pictured depicts a soldier carrying a wounded comrade with an outline of the Victoria Cross surrounded by a sunburst effect in the background.

The Award - by Royal Mint senior designer Claire Aldridge.

The second design is of a Victoria Cross with the date 29 JAN 1856 in the centre of the reverse of the Cross, the letters VC to the right.