Recent £2 coin issues ranked amongst the most sought after by new Scarcity Index
Change Checker has released the first-ever scarcity index for £2 circulating coins. Following the recently published indexes for the Round £1 Coin and 50p Coin, the Scarcity Index tracks which £2 coins are the most scarce and collectable, using a unique combination of mintage, collecting and swap data to give the most up-to-date picture of today’s £2 collecting market.
Recent Issues are a hit with collectors
Recent releases have proved a hit with collectors
Whilst all the mintage information is still not available for these issues, intense swap demand and limited numbers of collectors who list the coins in their collections, suggest they may number amongst some of the more sought after issues for years to come– surely a reflection of the UK public’s ever increasing interest in new coin issues.
Commonwealth Games tops the charts
The four Commonwealth Games £2 coins top the Scarcity index
However, it’s the 2002 Commonwealth Games £2 Coin that tops the new Scarcity Index. Whilst almost 2,500,000 £2 coins were issued for the Games, it is only the most eagle-eyed collectors who fully understand the reason for their scarcity.
That’s because there is not just one Commonwealth Games £2 coin but in fact four different designs – only identified by a hardly distinguishable cameo design represented each of the UK’s constituent nations, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England.
The result is that rather than 2,500,000 coins being issued, the mintages range between 485,500 and 771,500, helping to cement the coins’ position at the top of £2 Scarcity Index.
How the Scarcity Index works
Generally collectors have had to rely upon mintage figures to identify the scarcest coins. But they only tell part of the story. Trying to find a good quality coin from 15 – 20 years ago, even for a higher mintage issue, is much more challenging than a more recent issue, as coins become damaged over time and are ultimately removed from circulation.
Additionally, some designs are more hoarded than others by people who might not normally collect coins – the recent poignant First World War £2 Coin series being an example. Finally, it can be up to a couple of years before the Royal Mint eventually confirms the actual mintage for an issue.
That’s why we have combined the mintage information with two other key pieces of information.
- How many of each design are listed as “collected” by Change Checkers, indicating the relative ease of finding a particular coin.
- The number of times a design has been requested as a swap over the previous 3 months, showing the current level of collector demand.
Importantly, as new coins are released and popularity rises and falls across different designs the Scarcity Index will be updated quarterly allowing Change Checkers to track the relative performance of the UK’s circulation coins.
How much are my coins worth?
The Scarcity Index does not necessarily equate to value but it is certainly an effective indicator. For example, the Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2 coin commands a premium of 15 to 20 times face value of eBay.
As for the more recent issues that have made the top 10, it is perhaps too early to tell. But what is clear, is that more and more of the British public are checking their change in the hope of finding interesting or rare coins in their pocket – perhaps even the Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2 coin – you just have to be sharp-eyed.
What about £1 and 50p Coins?
The £1 Scarcity Index has already been published for the Round £1 coins and, because they are no longer being issued, this is now set in stone. You can also visit the Change Checker 50p Scarcity Index, which will continue to be updated quarterly.
Hi, I recently found a Northern Ireland 2002 Commonwealth Games £2 coin. I’m not sure whether to keep hold of it or sell it? Any suggestions?
Hi Matthew, it is completely up to you! If you need it for your collection, then definitely keep hold of it. If you are looking to sell it, I would suggest having a look on eBay to see what other similar coins are selling for. I hope this helps, Luke
How much is the 1995 £2 coin peace and goodwill worth please
Hi Samuel, unfortunately, we do not offer valuations so I would suggest having a look on an auction platform such as eBay to see what others are selling a similar coin for. It is certainly a very nice coin and you can read more about it here . I hope this helps, Luke
I have the triathlon coin & the wrestling coin r they collectables & are they worth keeping
I have a perfect condition first world war centenary (navy) design £2 coin, is this worth holding onto at all?
Hi Matt, that is a very nice coin to have in your collection, it’s up to you, but if you need it then I’d say it was a keeper! Thanks Luke
I have a triathlon & wrestling whi can u sell these to.
Hi Elaine, If you are looking to sell these coins, I would suggest listing them on an auction platform such as eBay. It’s probably worth having a look to see what others are selling similar coins for. I hope this helps. Luke
Hi I’ve got the Darwin £2 coin, William Shakespeare 2016 £2, and the 2010 Florence Nightingale £2 I’ve saved them for a while would it be worth keeping hold of ?
Hi Nicky,
These are some nice £2 coins to have, I’m not sure which Shakespeare you have but they all score quite highly on the Scarcity Index. Darwin and Florence Nightingale are more common but if you need them for your collection, then they’re definitely worth holding on to. Thanks Luke
I’ve got must coins
I Have a £2 coin dated 2009. We’ll tak a cup aw kindnefs yet, For auld lang syne. is it collectable?
Hi Marion, This is the 2009 Robert Burns £2 coin http://www.changechecker.org/coin/56/2pound-Robert-Burns.aspx which scored 13/100 and came 20th on our scarcity index. So, it is definite a nice coin to have in your collection. I hope this helps, Luke
I have in my possession a £2 london underground coin ( the one with the train)
Something seemed strange about it. So I had a look on line. The only thing I found which it could be is a silver proof centre with a red gold outer edge. Could I be right ? The colour is so different compared to other £2 coins.
Any help would be appreciated
Regards adam
Hi Adam, thanks for your message. Without actually seeing the coin it is hard to give you a definitive answer, if you can email us an image to [email protected] we’d be happy to take a closer look for you. Thanks Luke
I have a Darwin £2 that has a similar red outer rim, any ideas what it might be?
Hi Matt, We have had a look at Adam’s coin and believe that the colour difference is down to the coin becoming tarnished over time. Thanks Luke
I have tried emailing g you a few times now but it never seems to go through. Do you have a alternative email address please kind regards adam
Do you do the four commonwealth games £2 coins in a change checker pack?
Hi Toni, I am afraid that we don’t have the four Commonwealth £2 coins as a pack. Sorry Luke
I have a £2 coin, The first world war with the slogan your country needs you dated 2014, wonder if it was worth anything.
Hi Paul, This is the First World War Centenary £2 coin which has a score of 44/100 in our £2 Scarcity Index making it the 12th rarest £2 coin. We do not offer valuations for individual coins but I would say that it is a great coin to have in your collection. If you did want to find out what it is worth, I would suggest having a look on eBay to see what other are selling similar coins for. I hope this helps. Thanks Luke
Hi Luke
The scarcity index completely ignores the technology £2.00 coins ,presumably because of the vast numbers minted. Except however the 2005 3.84 million and the 2012 3.9 million both well below the mintages for Shakespear Comedy and Fire of London . They are both on a par with Darwin at 3.9 million . Even the 2010 Technology has lower mintage than the Brunnel Arches and the Union Jigsaw. Are these coins destined to remain ignored ?
I have a fire of London coin I found in my change what does the table mean that shows it’s at number 6 at 66 ??
Hi Amy, This means that, according to our calculations, the Great Fire of London £2 coin is the 6th most scarce of all £2 coins. The rating of 66 is out of 100; essentially the higher the score out of 100 the more scarce a coin is. So, you have a nice collectable coin there! I hope this helps, thanks Luke
I have a 50p with dolphins on. I have never seen any more since I kept that one years ago. Is this one a rare one
Hi Tina, This sounds like the 50p Dolphin coin that was released in Gibraltar, so a great coin to have! It is certainly nice and collectable. I hope this helps, Luke
Hi, I have the ‘1807 – Slave Trade’ £2 Coin. I have been lead to believe that the coin I have is extremely rare as the writing around the side of the coin is upside down when the coin is positioned with the queens head facing upwards. Would someone please advise if this coin is indeed rare? Many thanks…
Good morning, thank you for your comment. We have written a blog about upside down edge lettering, which I believe you are referring too. You can read it here I hope this helps, thanks Luke
Hi
I have the William Shakespeare 2016 crown and sword coin but it’s flawed. The print with the date is too high and slightly cut off. Could that be rare and worth something or would it still have the same kind of value?
Thanks
Hi Katrina, without seeing the coin it is hard to say exactly but it could well be a mis-strike. We have written a blog on mis-strikes which you can read here If it is a mis-strike, it wouldn’t necessarily make the coin more valuable but it could well make it more collectable as it is more interesting. I hope this helps. Thanks Luke
I have a lot of different 2pound coins was wandering about prices, for example I have a first world war your country needs you 2014 coin
Hi Annmarie, Unfortunately we cannot offer valuations on coins but I would suggest having a look at a platform such as eBay to see what others are selling similar coins for. I hope this helps. Luke
I have the Northern Ireland commonwealth £2 I can just make out the marking on the cross on flag
I have 66. Great fire of london
Hi I have the 3 Shakespeare coins I would just like to know how much they are worth .
Hi Wendy, good collecting! Unfortunately we cannot offer a direct valuation, but I’d suggest having a look somewhere like eBay to see what a similar collection is selling for. Hope this helps, Luke
tell Wendy there worth £25.00,that`s what you sell them for
I have a William Shakespeare £2 with a crown and dagger on is this a collectable and how many different Shakespeare £2 designs are there?
Tia
Hi Michelle, This is the ‘Shakespeare Histories’ £2 coin, it scored 27 on the Scarcity Index which is actually pretty high. So, I would suggest that it is definitely collectable, especially if you can find the other two Shakespeare £2 coins (Comedy and Tragedy). I hope this helps, Luke
No further comment.
I have all £2 coins now after I found my last 1 I needed last week
I have all of the £2 coins except Commonwealth Wales.
I have all 25 £1 coins inc the last round one. Now to get started on the £2 coins. I have a couple that’s not on the list. I have them in safely tucked away
Peter
There’s more than 25, some coins come out a second time, so have a different date and queens head on them.
How do we find the value of these coins?
Hi Karen, Unfortunately we cannot give valuations on coins however I would suggest checking on an online marketplace, such as eBay, to see what other are selling similar coins for. I hope this helps. Thanks Luke
Hi ive got a £2 coin it’s all gold coloured and it’s got a dove one one side I haven’t seen one of these before could someone tell me if they have one thank you
Hi Jenny, this sounds like the pre-1997 ‘Peace’ £2 coin. You can read more about it in our app if you click this link. I hope this helps. Thanks Luke
1995 Two Pound Coin 1995 1945 IN PEACE GOODWILL 1995 50th Anniversary of the end of The Second World War
A stylised representation of a Dove as the symbol of peace designed by John Mills
Guys,
Just got this from the royal mint this morning 2016 mintage figures
£2 First World War 9,550,000
£2 Shakespeare comedies 4,355,000
£2 Shakespeare tragedies 4,615,000
£2 Shakespeare histories 5,695,000
£2 Great Fire of London 5,135,0000
1P – 371,002,000
2P – 185,200,000
5P – 308,200,000
10P – 135,200,000
20P – 161,000,000
£2 Britannia – 2,925,000
50P Peter Rabbit – 9,600,000
50P Beatrix Potter portrait – 6,900,000
50P Jemima Puddle Duck – 2,100,000
50P Tiggy Winkle – 8,800,000
50p Squirrel Nutkin – 5,000,000
50P Team GB – 6,400,000
50p Battle of Hastings – 6,700,000
It says above…..50p Beatrix Potter portrait. What is this? I have only found the one from the first set with just writing theron. Can you enlighten me please?
That is the one that you have 2016
not really a portrait – it’s just a silhouette – it’s this one here, I’ve only found one so far http://www.westminstercollection.com/p-346R/2016-UK-Beatrix-Potter-CERTIFIED-BU-50p.aspx
Hi I would just like to know how much this £2.00 pound coin would be worth please I have a scull William Shakespeare 2016if you could help I would be grateful thank you.
Hi Joanne, from looking at the Scarcity Index I can confirm that this is a sought after coin even before The Royal Mint have issued mintage figures. Unfortunately I am unable to give you a valuation for the coin but I would suggest checking an online marketplace, such as eBay, to see what others are selling this same coin design for. I hope this helps. Thanks Luke
I would like to buy or swap your Shakespeare Skull please Joanne.
It would be much appreciated if you can put numbered images of the coins correlating with the coin description (in the same way that was done with the £1 coin. Thanks
Hi Yehuda, the £2 Scarcity Index has been laid out in the same style as the one we did for the round £1 coins. Some of the press have displayed all the coins with the relevant score but it’s certainly something we will bare in mind when we release the quarterly updates. Thanks Luke
“bare” indeed! lol
Reblogged this on charlesobrien08 and commented:
Could make a few think of making an extra few quid from a few quid!
Why is the Britannia £2 so low on the index? (30) when the mintage is the same as the Navy coin – the 4th highest at 67.
Hi Jim, When compiling the Scarcity Index we take a number of factors into consideration not just the mintage figures. For example, we look at how many of each design are listed as “collected” by Change Checkers and also the number of times a design has been requested as a swap over the previous 3 months. A certain number of coins are also taken out of circulation each year due to damage and wear and tear. It will be a combination of these that lead to the different ratings for the Britannia £2 and the WWI Centenary (Navy) £2 coin. I hope this helps. Thanks Luke