£2 Coins
Pride without prejudice – how Jane Austen came to appear on our coins and banknotes in 2017.
2017 marks 200 years since the death of Jane Austen – one of the best-loved English novelists of all time. And to celebrate such an inspirational female figure, both The Royal Mint and the Bank of England chose to honour her on a brand new coin and banknote.
People power wins
Back in May 2013, a petition to ‘keep a woman on English banknotes’ gained momentum. Over 35,000 people signed the petition after it was announced that Winston Churchill would replace social reformer Elizabeth Fry as the face of the £5 note in 2016. At the time this meant that other than the Queen, there would be no women featuring on English banknotes.
However, people power won as Jane Austen became the new face of the polymer £10 note in 2017, replacing Charles Darwin.
It is thought that Jane Austen was already part of the Bank’s plans for the next new note as in a statement the Bank said it was “never the Bank’s intention” that none of the four characters on banknotes would be a woman.
The Bank of England have featured characters on their banknotes since 1970 to celebrate individuals that have shaped British thought, innovation, leadership, values and society.
Jane Austen is the 17th historical figure to feature on a Bank of England note.
So not only does Jane Austen feature on the new £10 note, The Royal Mint also feature this inspirational author on the new 2017 £2 coin. Designed by Dominique Evans, the new £2 features a silhouette of Jane Austen with the dates 1817-2017.
The £2 coin issued by The Royal Mint has been struck to mark the 200th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen, one of the best-loved English novelists.
This £2 for 2017 was struck to mark the 200th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen.
This was the first time ever that someone featured on a circulation coin and banknote at the same time – other than the reigning monarch.
A tiny portrait of Jane Austen also appears on four of the new polymer £5 notes as a microscopic engraving produced by Specialist micro-engraver Graham Short. The collector’s items are said to be worth over £20,000 each!
Own the 2017 Jane Austen £2 Coin and £10 Banknote Pack
This is your opportunity to receive one of the very first Polymer £10 notes issued in perfect mint condition alongside the 2017 Jane Austen £2 Coin issued by The Royal Mint.
Is there an even rarer version of the Navy £2 in circulation?
Change Checkers have been speculating whether there are two different design variations of the 2015 Navy £2 coin that was released into circulation a couple of months ago.
This coin has already caused a stir in the collecting world as we revealed it was one of the rarest £2 coins with just 650,000 struck for circulation.
The 2015 Navy £2 coin was released into circulation a couple of months ago.
The original Navy £2 design (above) shows the coin without any markings on the top right of the mast, but we’ve seen a few £2’s out there that look like they have a flying flag.
A number of people have been enquiring about whether there were two different designs of the Navy £2 coin struck for circulation.
As you can see from the two coins pictured above, the coin on the right looks like it has a flying flag on the mast whereas the first coin is free from any markings.
So are there two different designs?
No – The Royal Mint strike up to 5 billion coins a year and from time to time cracks in the die can cause pools of metal to form on the coin.
It just so happens that this bit of metal has caused the markings on these coins to look like a flying flag on the ship fueling speculation that two different variations were struck.
Well done to the eagle-eyed change checkers out there who spotted differences between the coins. It’s the little details like these that make collecting so interesting so remember to always check your change carefully.
Have you checked your Navy £2?
Let us know via Facebook, Twitter or leave us a comment below.
The Shakespeare £2 coins have been released into circulation…
***MINTAGE FIGURE UPDATE***
In 2019 it was revealed that the previous mintage figures of two of the Shakespeare £2 coins weren’t correct..
Below are the correct mintage figures for all three of the 2016 Shakespeare £2 coins:
- Shakespeare Histories: 5,655,000
- Shakespeare Tragedies: 4,615,000
- Shakespeare Comedies: 4,355,000
It’s been confirmed that the Shakespeare £2 coins have been released into circulation, and this is your chance to find one… or all three!
After the exciting news last month that the Peter Rabbit 50ps had been released into circulation in certain parts of England, it seems to be happening again.
Getting your hands on a brand new coin is an achievement, and we’re certain these Shakespeare £2 coins will be just as popular as the Beatrix Potter 50p’s, so it’s best to be quick.
To mark the 400th anniversary of the most influential literary figure in British history, three £2 coins have been released to honour the work of William Shakespeare.
The brand new Shakespeare £2 coins have been amongst the favourites of the coins due for release in 2016 and when the designs were revealed back in November, the Skull design received a lot of attention, not just from collectors.
The three different £2 coins honour Shakespeare’s tragedies, comedies and historical works and have been released into circulation just in time for the 400th anniversary of his death on the 23nd April 2016.
The coins have gone into the tills at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon where Hamlet is currently being performed.
Stratford-upon-Avon was where William Shakespeare spent the beginning and end of his life. It is where he was born and bought up, and it also appears it is the place in which he spent the last three years in retirement, with his wife and three children before he died in 1616.
The coins pay tribute to each of Shakespeare’s major genres and the reverse designs take inspiration from his most famous plays, including Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth.
If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use and allows users to:
– Find and identify the coins in their pocket
– Collect and track the coins they have
– Swap their spare coins with other Change Checkers
Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app