NO SMALL CHANGE: Orwell’s dystopian vision honoured with £2 coin

His name has become synonymous with a dystopian future that no one could have ever imagined, yet is increasingly becoming more real by the day.  

In an Orwellian twist of irony — and fate — George Orwell, the visionary author who warned of surveillance, authoritarianism and manipulation of truth has been commemorated by the Royal Mint with a new £2 coin on the 75th anniversary of his death.

The legal tender, which is to be circulated starting January 15, features an ominous camera lens and the chilling inscription: ‘Big Brother is watching you’ and pays tribute to his enduring influence on how we understand power and control in modern society.

The reverse side of the coin nods to Orwell’s most famous dystopian novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, with a design that artist Henry Gray describes as “an unblinking camera lens” — a symbol of constant surveillance in a world where privacy is an illusion.

“With phones, cameras, and microphones everywhere, Orwell’s vision is more relevant than ever,” said Gray. “We are living in a culture where everything is monitored, and that’s exactly what Nineteen Eighty-Four warns about.”

First published in 1949, 1984 depicts a totalitarian future where individuals are constantly watched by a government that controls information, erases truth, and demands absolute conformity. Orwell’s concept of Big Brother has since become synonymous with state surveillance, propaganda, and thought control.

According to Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint: “The works of George Orwell have influenced generations. Decades after their publication, his warnings about truth, power, and freedom remain strikingly relevant. We’re proud to honour him with this unique coin.”

The edge inscription reads: “There was truth and there was untruth,” another chilling phrase from Nineteen Eighty-Four that resonates in today’s world of misinformation, digital surveillance, and algorithmic control.

Born as Eric Blair in 1903, Orwell was deeply concerned with issues of poverty, class, and power. His real-life experiences — living in poverty, working as a journalist, and fighting against fascism in the Spanish Civil War — heavily influenced his writing. His nonfiction works, such as Homage to Catalonia and The Road to Wigan Pier, explored the realities of economic hardship and social injustice.

While best known for his novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell was also a prolific journalist, producing essays and reviews that championed freedom of speech and exposed abuses of power. His warnings about authoritarianism continue to shape political discourse, with phrases like “thoughtcrime,” “doublethink” and “Orwellian” becoming part of the modern lexicon.

The release of the commemorative coin comes at a time when Orwell’s dystopian vision feels more prescient than ever. With smartphones, social media, and AI-powered surveillance systems tracking people’s movements, Orwell’s warnings about a society under constant watch have become all too real in ways even he couldn’t have imagined 75 years ago.

“Orwell’s message wasn’t just about the dangers of state surveillance,” Gray noted. “It was also a warning about the erosion of truth in society. In today’s world, with fake news, deepfakes, and social media algorithms, it feels like we’re living in Nineteen Eighty-Four.”

The commemorative coin will be available in uncirculated, gold and silver proof editions starting January 15. Previous incarnations have featured literary figures such as William Shakespeare, Jane Austen and JRR Tolkien.

As Orwell wrote in Nineteen Eighty-Four: “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”

Including, it seems, making change for a fiver.