Latest Irish Science and Inventions Coin Honors Ernest Walton

The Central Bank of Ireland have launched their latest silver crown coin which further highlights contributions of Irish scientists and inventors. The new coin honors the work of Ernest Thomas Sinton Walton (1903 – 1995), the only Irish person to win a Nobel Prize in Physics. His achievement in artificially splitting the atomic nucleus was one of the great scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century.

Walton was born in Abbeyside, County Waterford, Ireland. His father was a Methodist who was compelled to move once every three years to different parishes, and this practice brought Ernest and his family to many parts of the country until Walton became a boarder at the Methodist College Belfast in 1915, where he excelled in science and mathematics. In 1922 Walton won scholarships to the respected and eminent Trinity College, Dublin for the study of mathematics and science where he was awarded bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 1926 and 1927, respectively.

Having graduated in Experimental Science and Mathematics from Trinity College Dublin, Walton won a research scholarship to work with Sir Ernest Rutherford at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge. During the early 1930s Walton and John Douglas Cockcroft developed a proton accelerator which they used to split the lithium nucleus. Their experiments confirmed a number of scientific predictions arising out of relativity theory and quantum mechanics and proved that a large amount of energy could be released in a nuclear reaction, thus providing the first experimental verification of Einstein’s famous mass/energy equivalence equation, E=mc2. In 1951 Walton and Cockcroft were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering work on the transmutation of a nucleus by artificially accelerated atomic particles.

Although he retired from Trinity College Dublin in 1974, Walton retained his association with the Physics Department at Trinity up to his final days. Shortly before his death he marked his lifelong devotion to Trinity by presenting his Nobel medal and citation to the college. Walton died in Belfast on the 25th June 1995 at the age of 91. He is buried in Deansgrange Cemetery, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. Widely respected and much admired, he was regarded and remembered as a modest, unassuming man. Walton was survived by his wife Freda and their five children.

The coin, struck by the Pobjoy Mint, UK on behalf of the Central Bank, is designed by veteran Central Bank of Ireland coin artist Rory Breslin whose last design was for the Irish silver crown issued in 2013 on the occasion of the centennial anniversary of the Dublin “lock-out”. The obverse of this coin includes elements of Walton and Cockcroft’s mathematic equation, the now familiar theory of relativity “E=mc 2” prominently part of the overall design. Text along the lower left edge includes “ERNEST WALTON 1932” in reference to 1932 being the year Walton published his findings and theory. The reverse includes an image of the Harp, Ireland’s national symbol along with the text “EIRE” and the year of issue “2015” on either side.

Denomination

Metal

Weight

Diameter

Quality

Mintage

15 €URO

.925 silver

28.2 grams

38.6 mm

Proof

6000 pieces

The coin, which is accompanied with a numbered certificate of authenticity, is the second in the series of Science and inventions of Ireland and is available from the 14th January with a lower mintage in comparison from the first coin, issued to honor John Philip Holland, inventor of the modern submarine.

It was also announced that the Central Bank of Ireland, in collaboration with the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition has given out a number of the new Walton commemorative coins as a special awards ceremony which was held on the 8th January. The exhibition and awards are in recognition of Walton’s achievements.

Related posts:

Coin Update is not a retail website. If you wish to buy a coin or banknote, you should contact a reputable dealer. One of our sponsors (see ads at right and top of page) may also have what you’re looking for, so be sure to check out their websites.

Per policy, we do not advise on the value, authenticity, or rarity of readers’ coins and banknotes. For this kind of assistance, you should contact a reputable dealer, preferably one who’s certified by the American Numismatic Association and/or the Professional Numismatists Guild.

Vulgar and/or abusive comments will not be tolerated. Nor will trolls.

Allegations of fraudulent or criminal activity against a named party, when said activity has not been proven in a court of law, will be removed.

Comments

While it probably conveys the work of Walton however the question is, is it the best possible design to convey achievements of Walton? Some purists might say, simplicity sometimes delivers very strong message however in context of this coin I would beg to defer from them? Is it really the best possible usage of 38.6 mm diameter?

The Central Bank of Ireland very kindly offered me some background as to the choice for their latest Science & Inventions series.

It had been thought to just utilise a portrait of the Great thinker but, since the series wants to concentrate primarily on the achievements of those whose innovations and discoveries contributed greatly to our lives, they thought to highlight those achievements.

In this regard, the CBI sought to include something in the design that, to someone who is well-versed on the theory of relativity, complex mathematics and physics, that it would “speak to them” and perhaps spark conversation on the subject at hand.

Categories

More Recent Articles

By Gabriel Leif Bellman A surprise 2017 release from the Mexican Mint comes to us in kilo silver. The first surprise is that the 2017 kilo silver Libertad is the key to the series. With a mintage of just 200, it is the lowest minted Libertad to date. That includes all Libertads, in both silver and […]

The Isle of Man Post Office (IOMPO) reinforces the message of peace, love, and happiness this festive season by giving its customers an opportunity to purchase the IOM government treasury’s 2017 Christmas £5 coin, which features a dove — a well-known and universal symbol of peace. The £5 coin depicts a very familiar image of […]

The U.S. Mint is excited to announce a new checkout feature. Registered U.S. Mint customers can pay with PayPal. For more information on linking PayPal to your U.S. Mint account, see the new FAQ below. While you’re on the Mint’s website, don’t forget to check out their Holiday Gift Guide. However you choose to pay — […]

The United States Mint has announced (December 11) pricing for the 2018 World War I Centennial Silver Dollar products as follows: Coin Introductory Price Regular Price World War I Centennial Proof Silver Dollar $51.95 $56.95 World War I Centennial Uncirculated Silver Dollar $48.95 $53.95 World War I Centennial Silver Dollar and Air Service Medal Set […]

The press office of the Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest, the official residence of the former Romanian royal family, have announced the death of Romania’s former King Michael, who passed away after a lengthy illness at the age of 96. The royal family’s statement indicated that Michael died at his long-time home in Switzerland, where he […]

18th-century colonial America (and even into the 19th-century) saw a wide variety of coins in circulation to satisfy monetary demand. Many of these early American and American-related coinage are very rare and highly demanded by colonial coin specialists (such as the crudely struck 1652 New England coinage). For collectors on a budget of say, $100, […]

The late, great, Ed Reiter once called Q. David Bowers a “one-man library” due to his propensity to not only produce a massive amount of content, but to imbue each and every article, column, or book with quality as well. Commencing Wednesday, January 3, 2018, Coin Update and Mint News Blog will have the pleasure […]

The Royal Mint has launched (4th December) one of the latest coins which is part of the ongoing and popular series entitled “The Queen’s Beasts.” This latest coin is one of ten heraldic Queen’s Beasts that can be seen cropping up through centuries of British Heraldry. Each beast has its own special story to tell […]

Before sharing an interview with GreatCollections President Ian Russell concerning his company’s practice of providing honest numismatic photos, I want to discuss the dishonesty and risk of buying coins with altered or poor photos. Here’s a poor photo of a coin that I took a risk with, bidding based on a Proxibid lot that didn’t […]