£2 Coins
Revealed: The Queen’s New Portrait for our Coins
Today at the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Mint unveiled the new definitive portrait of Queen Elizabeth II which will appear on our circulating coinage this year. It is only the fifth portrait to appear on our coins in the Queen’s 62-year reign, and as far as collectors are concerned, events don’t come much bigger than this.
The Queen’s new coin portrait was revealed this morning
The portrait, showing a side profile of the Queen wearing a crown and drop earrings, was created by designer Jody Clark and is the winning entry of a closed competition launched by the Royal Mint late last year. Aged 33 when his design was selected, he is the youngest of the five designers to have created a portrait for Queen Elizabeth II.
Clark’s new effigy marks a brand new chapter in the history of our circulating coinage, and as any collector will tell you, first issues hold a significance and a lasting degree of collectability for years into the future.
We will see the new coins in our change over the coming weeks and months as they begin filtering through the cash centres and banks to begin with. You can be sure that many of these will be going straight into collections as Change Checkers seek to grab them in their freshly struck condition.
What do you think of the new portrait?
Create a historic collection using your pocket change
Now you can collect all eight definitive coins featuring the Queen’s new effigy as soon as you spot them in your change.
Click here to order your New Portrait Collecting Pack
Announcing: The return of Britannia to our coins
An early depiction of Britannia on a George II halfpenny
Earlier in the month, we revealed that Britannia would be making a triumphant return to British circulating coins, and today The Royal Mint have unveiled the new design which we will soon be seeing on the new £2 coin.
Having been something of an institution for British coins for over 300 years, it came as a shock to many that her image was dropped from the 50p in the first place.
A depiction of Britannia on a George III Cartwheel Penny had a nautical theme
The Romans were the first to personify Britain as a noble female warrior, but it was Charles II who introduced Britannia to our coinage in 1672. Her debut appearance was on the Farthing at a time when Britain was engaged in a naval battle with Holland and she came to be a defining symbol of British national spirit – particularly over the seas.
A Queen Victoria Penny featuring Britannia
Britannia’s depiction was originally based on Charles’ mistress, Frances Teresa Stuart, who Samuel Pepys described as “the greatest beauty I ever saw”. She modelled and was subsequently immortalised as the figure which the nation grew to love.
But her image on our coins has evolved and changed many times since then.
Originally shown holding a spear on the 1672 Farthing, on the famous Cartwheel Penny she was adapted to purvey a more nautical look. Her spear was changed to a trident – famously associated with Neptune, the Roman God of the seas. Waves were added to the foreground, with a ship on the horizon, and the Union Flag added to her shield, in a strong display of patriotism.
Britannia was depicted standing for the first time under Edward VII
This depiction of Britannia became a permanent feature on penny coins right up until decimalisation in 1971. Thereafter, she was introduced to the Fifty Pence piece, and remained until 2008 when she was famously replace with the Royal Shield of Arms, despite a Daily Mail campaign trying to save her.
A precious metal Britannia series was struck in silver and gold
Various alternatives of Britannia have existed over the years but it was not until Edward VII’s Florin that she appeared standing up. It was unusual for a coin to change so dramatically and it was considered a bold move to use a different version of the Britannia theme. The coin has since become a popular one amongst collectors, and it opened the door for a number of standing Britannia poses.
Britannia was even given the honour of being introduced as a coin in her own right. In 1987 a Gold Britannia coin was announced, and an entire precious metal series followed, with a silver version being added in 1997.
The astonishing fact is that Britannia has appeared on a circulating British coin in one way or another in an unbroken cycle between 1672 and 2008. Her reappearance to the definitive £2 coin is sure to delight collectors as she becomes a permanent feature of our pocket change once again.
Britannia’s return to the £2 coin means that the 2015 Technology £2 coin is now the very last of its kind. We have a small quantity of the Brilliant Uncirculated 2015 Technology £2 Coin available to buy in protective capsules. Click here for details.
How rare is the Royal Navy £2?
The Royal Navy £2 commemorates the Royal Navy’s efforts in World War One and is known as the 3rd rarest £2 coin in circulation.
The coin features a battleship design by military artist David Rowlands and the 5th portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, but just 650,000 2015 Navy £2 coins were struck for circulation, making it very sought-after amongst collectors.
But you may have also heard about the small number of Royal Navy £2 coins which were issued to HMS Belfast and its visitor facilities in 2015 – 100 of them to be precise. The story was widely covered, including being featured by the BBC. Naturally plenty of excitement ensued amongst collectors, many of whom flocked to HMS Belfast in the hope of finding one.
The 100 Royal Navy £2 coins distributed at HMS Belfast all carry the Ian Rank-Broaldey FRBS portrait of the Queen
The distinguishing feature of these 100 coins is that they all carry the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank Broadley FRBS whereas those issued for general circulation later in the year then featured the Queen’s new portrait which was announced 2nd March 2015.
However, the Brilliant Uncirculated Royal Navy £2 packs which were originally made available in 2014 also feature Ian Rank-Broadley’s current effigy of the Queen, and there is nothing fundamentally different between these and the 100 issued to HMS Belfast.
Inevitably, scammers capitalised on these blurred lines and a large number of coins purporting to be from HMS Belfast started to crop up on eBay for extortionate amounts. Whilst we can’t prove or disprove the legitimacy of the listings it is nonsensical to bid on a coin which can in no way be authenticated as one of the 100 rare issues. And as we know, when it comes to collecting, there is one fact which is always inevitable – the rarest coins are always in highest demand.
A Royal Navy £2 claiming to be from HMS Belfast selling on ebay for over £100
So although the dust has settled and the Navy £2 is no longer the talk of the town, it is still a staple coin for any collection (even without the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait) and if you come across one in your change, it might just be worth hanging on to!
Own the 3rd rarest £2 coin in circulation!
If you would like to own this rare Royal Navy £2 Coin, you can order yours today.