2 Pounds 2025 - George Orwell
By Coinsanduk | Friday, 5 September 2025
George Orwell, whose real name was Eric Arthur Blair, was was born on 25 June 1903 in Motihari, Bengalan, and was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. He is one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, known for his lucid prose, social criticism, and strong opposition to totalitarianism.
For the reverse of the UK £2 coin commemorating the life and work of George Orwell, coinage artist Henry Gray has created a design based on the theme of totalitarianism, which is central to Orwell's writing and an integral part of the artist's design.
The inscription BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, a quote taken from 1984, encircles the lens, whilst another quote from the novel, THERE WAS TRUTH AND THERE WAS UNTRUTH, serves as the coin's fitting edge inscription.
Orwell was raised in England in what he described as a lower-upper-middle class family. His father served the British Empire by working as an Opium Agent in the Indian Civil Service and he was predominantly overseen by his mother.
His experiences with the British class system and later as a colonial police officer in Burma (now Myanmar) profoundly shaped his political views and his anti-imperialist stance.
From a young age, he exhibited a level of intelligence and intellect that earned him a King's Scholarship to Eton College in May 1917. He ended up dropping out in December 1921.
Orwell was a democratic socialist who believed in social justice and opposed all forms of tyranny, whether from the right or the left. His time fighting for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War solidified his commitment to socialism while also instilling in him a deep hatred of the totalitarian tactics he witnessed on both sides.
In 1921, he joined the Indian Imperial Police and was accepted into its Burma (now known as Myanmar) division. Stating his reason for joining as having family there, coupled with his father's attachment to the Eastern Empire, his posting was perhaps one of reluctance.
Not much is known about Orwell's time in the East, although it did spawn the well-known essays A Hanging and Shooting an Elephant, as well as his first novel Burmese Days (1934); the experience also engendered a deep cynicism towards imperialism.
The book detailed Orwell's personal experience of living in abject squalor and, before its publication, the writer chose a professional pseudonym that combined the name of the reigning British monarch and a local river. Several productive years followed, in which the writer battled a nasty bout of pneumonia, published two more novels and married his first wife, Eileen O'Shaughnessy.
George Orwell continued to investigate poverty first-hand, embarking on a tour of the industrial north that resulted in The Road to Wigan Pier (1937). The second half of the book contains his unfavourable views on socialism, but it is salient to note that his political opinions were not yet fully formed.
His work is characterized by its directness, clarity, and a focus on social and political issues. He often explored themes such as poverty, class distinctions, the dangers of propaganda, the manipulation of language, and the abuse of power.
Orwell is best known for his two satirical, dystopian novels, which have become modern classics:
- Animal Farm (1945): An allegorical novella that uses a farmyard setting to critique the Russian Revolution and the rise of Stalinism. The famous line All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others is a powerful summary of the book's message about the corruption of power. The major figures of the regime are caricatured as farmyard animals. Four publishers rejected the manuscript, with one initially accepting it but changing their minds after consulting the Ministry of Information, until eventually Secker and Warburg published the first edition of the book in 1945.
- Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949): Orwell's final novel. It is a chilling novel that paints a grim picture of a future totalitarian society ruled by the omnipresent Big Brother. The book introduced concepts like Thought Police, Newspeak, doublethink, and memory hole into the English language and has had a lasting impact on popular culture and political discourse.
Tragically, George Orwell couldn't enjoy the immense success of 1984 as after completing the final draft in 1948, he was transported to a Cotswolds nursing home following a rapid deterioration of his health as a result of tuberculosis (TB). The novel was published in June 1949 and its author died at University College Hospital on 21 January 1950, just a few months later, at the age of 46.
The adjective Orwellian is now widely used to describe social practices and ideas that are authoritarian or totalitarian in nature. His work remains highly influential and relevant, serving as a powerful warning against political oppression and the erosion of truth.
With phones and cameras being everywhere in your house, and being listened to by advertisers on your phone, you are really aware of how you're being surveyed – and that's what 1984 is all about.
It's about living in a culture where everything is looked at and you are constantly under pressure to conform. That's why the eye [in the design] isn't a realistic eye; it doesn't have eyelashes and things like that because I wanted it to be monocular. It's almost like a camera lens staring at you all the time, unblinking.
- Henry Gray, coinage artist
Specifications
- Composition: Inner: Cupro-nickel. Outer:Nickel-brass.
- Weight: 12 g
- Diameter: 28.4 mm
- Reverse: Henry Gray
A 15.98 g 22 carat gold and a sterling silver 24 g versions were also produced.
