The double sovereign is a gold coin of the United Kingdom with a nominal value of two pounds sterling (£2). It features the reigning monarch on its obverse and, most often, Benedetto Pistrucci's depiction of Saint George and the Dragon on the reverse (pictured). It was rarely issued in the first century and a half after its debut in 1820, usually in a new monarch's coronation year or to mark the institution of a new coinage portrait of the monarch. In addition to the usual coinage in Britain, specimens were struck at Australia's Sydney Mint in 1887 and 1902. Most often struck as a proof coin, the double sovereign has been issued for circulation in only four years, and few examples worn from commercial use are known. It is now a collector and bullion coin, and has been struck by the Royal Mint most years since 1980. In some years, it has not been issued and the Royal Mint instead placed gold versions of the commemorative £2 piece in the annual gold proof sets.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_sovereign

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1899:

Antonio Luna, Commanding General of the Philippine Army, was assassinated in the midst of the Philippine–American War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Luna

1997:

Anticipating a coup attempt, President Pascal Lissouba of the Republic of the Congo ordered the detainment of his rival Denis Sassou Nguesso, initiating a second civil war. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_the_Congo_Civil_War_%281997%E2%80%931999%29

2004:

Noël Mamère, the mayor of Bègles, conducted a marriage ceremony for two men, even though same-sex marriage in France had not yet been legalised. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_France

2009:

After almost two months of civil disobedience, at least 31 people were killed in clashes between the National Police and indigenous people in Bagua Province, Peru. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Peruvian_political_crisis

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

greenhouse gas: Any gas (such as carbon dioxide, a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), or methane) that contributes to the greenhouse effect when released into the atmosphere by absorbing infrared radiation emitted by a planet's surface, thus increasing the surface temperature. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/greenhouse_gas

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The old saying holds. Owe your banker £1000 and you are at his mercy; owe him £1 million and the position is reversed.   --John Maynard Keynes https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes