Let’s rewind to 2012. That was the bicentenary of Charles Dickens’ birth, and the Royal Mint decided to throw a party in coin form. They minted a special £2 coin to honor the author, who was born in 1812 and died in 1870, spanning an era when London was all fog, gaslights, and dramatic orphans.
The coin’s design? It’s a clever little masterpiece. One side shows the profile of the great man himself, with his signature muttonchop whiskers looking as distinguished as a Victorian banker. The other side? Well, it’s a puzzle of Dickensian details—tiny images from his novels, like a teapot, a clock, and a stack of London townhouses.
You might need a magnifying glass to spot them all, but that’s half the fun. It’s like a where’s-Waldo for book nerds, minus the red-and-white striped shirt.
