2016-12-29 Thu

The Pobjoy Mint struck two 2016 £2 coins for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands commemorating the Endurance Expedition of Sir Ernest Shackleton with a common design. It was considered to be the last major expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. The official name of the expedition is the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

After both North and South Poles were discovered in 1914, Shackleton became the first to traverse Antarctica. On 5th November 1914, he reached South Georgia and stopped at Grytviken whaling station for a month. He then sailed into the Weddell Sea to cross the Antarctic continent to the Ross Sea. He met the Ross Sea party on the ship named Aurora. Shackleton returned to South Georgia after 18 long months.

The Endurance was lost in the ice and its 28-man complement stayed in makeshift camps for many months. They used lifeboats to reach Elephant Island finally. Shackleton and five companions travelled for 1,300-kilometer aboard the James Caird to King Haakon Bay, South Georgia. On May 20th, Shackleton, Tom Crean and Frank Worsley crossed South Georgia on foot to Stromness whaling station. Shackleton then went on to rescue his men on Elephant Island, all of whom were brought home aboard the Chilean steamer Yelcho after 4 attempts.

The reverse shows Endurance stuck in the ice and the crew pulling a sledge on the ice pack. The obverse features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Both coins weigh 28.28 grams and come in presentation boxes along with a certificate of authenticity. The mintage limit of the copper-nickel coin is 10,000 pieces and can be purchased for $16.95. The silver coin has a mintage limit of 2,000 pieces and can be purchased for $65.