£2 Coins
Your chance to own future UK 50p and £2 coins for FACE VALUE!
With fewer coins going into circulation these days, we want to give collectors a fair chance to secure the latest UK coins for face value. And, with our Face Value Coin Ballot – you can do just that!
Simply sign up to the Face Value Ballot and each time there’s a new UK 50p or £2 released, you’ll be entered into our ballot for your chance to get your hands on it for just face value POST FREE!
For new UK 50ps, we randomly select 1,000 people from the ballot entries list to get the latest coin in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just 50p, and for new UK £2 coins, 500 lucky winners will be randomly selected to get theirs for just £2.
If you’re lucky enough to be chosen, we’ll still keep your name in the pot for all future releases – so if you’re really lucky, you might even get picked more than once!
And don’t worry, if you’re selected as a winner but decide you no longer want to purchase the coin at face value, you’re under no obligation to place your order.
Sign up to the Face Value Coin Ballot for FREE today >>
FAQs
1. How do I enter the Face Value Coin Ballot?
Simply click here and follow the step by step instructions.
2. Does it cost anything to enter the ballot?
No, it’s FREE to enter the Face Value Coin Ballot. If you are successful, we’ll email you a link to pay for your coin at face value post free.
3. Who can enter the Face Value Coin Ballot?
The ballot is open to all UK residents.*
4. If I entered the ballot previously, do I need to sign up again year?
No, if you’ve previously entered the ballot, you’ll be automatically entered for future releases – so you don’t have to do anything!
5. How many times can I enter the ballot?
Ballot entry is limited to one per household. Additional applications will not be entered into the ballot.
6. Will I need to enter the ballot each time a new coin is released?
No, you only need to enter once to be included in the ballot for all upcoming UK new issue 50p and £2 coins.
7. Will I need to enter again if I win a ballot?
No, even if you win, we’ll still automatically include you in the next ballot.
8. How will I know if my ballot entry has been successful?
The successful ballot entrants will be notified via email on launch day. You will have 7 days to confirm your reservation.
9. If I am successful, what do I need to do?
We’ll email you with a link to purchase your new coin for face value. You’ll need a credit/debit card to confirm your payment. Payment will not be taken until after the coin has been despatched.
10. If I am successful, when will I receive my coin?
You should receive your coin 3-5 working days after despatch.
11. If I am successful, do I have to complete my order?
If you are successful in the ballot, you have the choice of whether you wish to complete your application by making your payment. If you choose not to, there is no obligation to place your order and your allocation will automatically be forfeited after 7 days.
How to contact us:
If you have further questions please click here to contact our Customer Service Team
Please do NOT add [email protected] to your spam list as it may affect you receiving your successful ballot allocation. We recommend you add [email protected] to your safe senders list.
Terms & Conditions
- Ballot entry is limited to one per household. Additional applications will not be entered in to the ballot.
- The ballot will be drawn up to three days before each launch.
- The successful ballot entrants will be notified by email on the day the new coin is released.
- Successful entrants will be provided with an exclusive link to confirm their purchase of the newly released coin at face value. Please note that entrants must use the link from the email to secure the coin. We will not be able to place the order over the phone. Successful entrants will have 7 days in which to confirm their purchase. After that time their allocation will be forfeited.
- We reserve the right to vary the terms and conditions at any time, including, but not limited to, stopping the Face Value Ballot completely, closing the ballot early or extending the closing date and varying the number of coins available.
- *The ballot is not open to employees of 288 Group or their families.
Why you should be collecting £2 coins
With some truly fantastic releases recently, the UK has fallen head over heels for the 50p, with many collectors focusing on hunting down these seven sided gems for their collection.
But whilst collectors are busy scouring their change to find the latest and greatest 50p releases, the £2 coin, it seems, has taken a bit of a back seat…
So why should you be collecting £2 coins?
In this blog, we’ll take a look at which rare coins should take pride of place in your collection, which potential error coins might be out there and we’ll also share with you our top three £2 coins to look out for.
Rare and Error Coins
With over 37 different UK £2 coin designs in circulation, it’s worth paying attention to the £2 coins in your change, as you never know when you might come across something extra special…
2002 Commonwealth Games NI £2
The 2002 Commonwealth Games England £2 Coin is officially the most scarce £2 coin in the UK, ranking as 100 on our Scarcity Index.
Four coins were released in 2002 to celebrate the Commonwealth Games and at first glance, you might struggle to spot the difference between them. They all feature the same running athlete trailing a banner behind. But each has a different cameo, representing each of the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom.
The fact that this coin is so hard to spot and has such a low mintage of just 485,500 means that the Commonwealth Games NI £2 is the holy grail of £2 coin collections.
2015 Britannia £2
It wasn’t until 2016, when The Mint released the mintage figures for the 2015 coins, that collectors realised just how special the new definitive £2 coin was.
Only 650,000 of the 2015 date Britannia £2 coins had been stuck for circulation, making it one of the most scarce UK £2 coins ever issued! So scarce in fact that there were fewer of this coin than the England and the Scotland coins from the famous 2002 Commonwealth Games series.
This makes the 2015 Britannia £2 joint third scarcest £2 coin in circulation, alongside the Navy £2.
Inverted Effigy Britannia £2
First discovered by a Change Checker, and later confirmed as a genuine error by The Royal Mint, this unusual strike appears on a handful of the 2015 Britannia £2 Coins.
The Royal Mint has accounted for the seemingly impossible misalignment of the Queen’s effigy as “almost certainly the result of one of the dies working loose and rotating during the striking process”.
The result is that the Queen’s head is offset by around 150 degrees compared to the Britannia design on the reverse of the coin.
We analysed 5,000 circulation Britannia £2 coins and our results suggested that the Inverted Effigy may have affected as few as 1 in 200 of the coins struck – in other words around just 3,250 coins.
2015 Navy with Flag
We already know the 2015 Navy is one of the rarest £2 coins with just 650,000 struck for circulation, however Change Checkers have speculated whether there are two different design variations…
The original Navy £2 design (left) shows the coin without any markings on the top right of the mast, but the coin on the right looks like it has a flying flag.
The Royal Mint strike up to 5 billion coins a year and from time to time cracks on the die cause pools of metal to form on the coin whilst striking. 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 – fuelling speculation that two different variations were struck.
Whilst it doesn’t add any extra value to the coin, it’s certainly one to look out for and makes for interesting collecting.
2005 ‘Pemember, Pemember’ Gunpowder Plot £2
The 2005 Gunpowder Plot £2 commemorates the 400th anniversary of Guy Fawkes’ failed assassination attempt on King James I, but the coin is more familiar to collectors for having a spelling mistake in the edge inscription. The timeless quote “Remember, remember the fifth of November” has been found with various combinations of Pemember, Pemembep, Novemebep and so on. The common factor here is the ‘R’ which appears as a ‘P’.
Sadly for collectors this is apparently not a striking error. The explanation from the Royal Mint is that the down-stroke of the R coincides with the milling around the edge, and as the coin has worn over time, the letter has become less defined. This categorical statement from the Mint means that any mark-up in price for a supposed ‘error’ is completely unjustified, and although it makes the coin more interesting, it is not the mistake which it is often perceived to be.
1997 Maklouf ‘Queen with a Necklace’ £2
The ‘Queen with a Necklace’ £2 has an enduring legacy in the collecting world. The very first bi-metallic £2 coins were issued in 1997, just prior to the Queen’s portrait change in 1998. This meant that the older portrait by Raphael Maklouf was only used for one year: 1997. His version featured Queen Elizabeth II wearing a necklace, which is how the nickname was derived.
When the portrait change was announced, the new £2 coins were snapped up by collectors believing them to be a future rarity. As it turned out, a mintage of nearly 14 million means the ‘Queen with a Necklace’ £2 is not one of the rarest coins in circulation. Nevertheless, with only one year of issue, it still holds an undeniable interest for collectors.
2007 Abolition of Slavery £2
There is a misconception that there were two types of the Abolition of Slavery £2 coin struck for circulation. It is true that two versions of the coins exist – one has a textured finish whereas the other has a smooth finish and features the artist, David Gentleman’s initials (circled).
The key difference is that only the textured version was struck for circulation, and if you find one of the smoother types in your change, you have actually found a coin which has been taken out of a presentation pack. This makes it considerably rarer than the circulating version, so it is worth keeping rather than spending!
The Top Three £2 Coins to Collect
When it comes to collecting, £2 coins are some of our favourites to look out for, but out of the rare and wonderful coins mentioned above, here are our top three £2 coins to collect.
1) It’s no surprise that the UK’s scarcest £2 coin in circulation should come in first place, but you’ll not only have to be very lucky to come across one, you’ll also have to be eagle eyed to spot the correct flag for the Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2 coin.
2) Coming in close second is the third scarcest £2 coin, but can you challenge yourself to see if you can find one with the ‘flag’ variation as mentioned above?
3) And as our third placed coin, the 2015 Britannia actually sits in joint third place as the UK’s scarcest £2 in circulation and our challenge to you is to try and find the inverted effigy of this coin too!
Check out how we got on with our own £2 coin hunt and all the fantastic designs we were able to find in a £500 bank bag:
The £2 coins that haven’t entered circulation…
You may have noticed a lack of 2017 coins in your change, as to date The Royal Mint haven’t confirmed if they will enter circulation.
This all depends on demand for specific denominations at the time as UK Banks and Post Offices may not request every denomination every year if there is already sufficient coin in circulation.
Based on The Royal Mint’s figures, we do know that no 2017 Britannia coins were struck for circulation. But there have been 13 other coins designs issued since 2017 that we are yet to find in our change, including:
- Jane Austen
- WW1 Aviation
- Frankenstein
- Armistice
- RAF Badge
- RAF Spitfire
- RAF Vulcan
- RAF Sea King
- RAF Lightning
- Captain Cook
- Samuel Pepys
- D-Day Landings
- Wedgwood
All of these coins are available to purchase in Brilliant Uncirculated quality here, but we will of course be the first to update you as soon as we have more information on their potential release.
A Treasure Hunt
It can be quite a challenge tracking down every single £2 coin for a complete collection. Remember, if you’re struggling to find those last few coins in your change, you can source them online, in auctions, on Facebook coin groups and of course by swapping with like-minded collectors on our web app.
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
What’s your favourite £2 coin design of the year 2018?
We’re on the hunt for the best Coin Design of 2018 as part of the 2018 Change Checker Awards and we need your help! With over 50 new coins released this year, we’ve decided to shortlist the coins by denomination and then determine one overall winner from the top 10p, 50p, £2 and £5 coins as voted by Change Checkers!
£2 Coins
Eight brand new £2 coins have been released this year, including a stunning 5 coin RAF series and the first coin in a 3 coin series of £2s commemorating intrepid explorer, Captain Cook.
But which 2018 £2 coin is your favourite?
Cast your vote now using the poll at the bottom of the page and find out more about the different £2 coins from 2018 below!
RAF Badge £2
To mark the centenary of The RAF, The Royal Mint issued a commemorative £2 coin which is the first in the 2018 RAF series of five coins. The reverse features a design by Rhys Morgan of the Badge of the RAF – an eagle in front of a circle inscribed with the official motto ‘ Per Ardua Ad Astra’, which is Latin for ‘Through adversity to the stars’, with the Imperial Crown at the top.
RAF Spitfire £2
Designed by Richard and Neil Talbot, the second coin in the commemorative 2018 £2 coin series marking the centenary of the RAF features one of the most famous aircraft ever built, the Supermarine Spitfire, which first flew in 1936 and went on to contribute heavily to the ultimate victory of WWII.
RAF Vulcan £2
The third coin in the commemorative 2018 £2 coin series marking the centenary of the RAF features a favourite across the Nation’s Air Festivals, the jet powered Vulcan. This impressive aircraft is instantly recognised for its sleek delta wing, as captured in Richard and Neil Talbot’s £2 coin design.
RAF Sea King £2
The fourth £2 coin in the series marking the centenary of the RAF was also designed by Richard and Neil Talbot and features the Sea King helicopter which entered service with the Royal Air Force in 1978, exclusively in a search and rescue role across six UK locations.
RAF Lightning II £2
The final coin in the 2018 RAF series features the newest aircraft to the air force, the F-35 Lightning II. As a fifth-generation aircraft, the superior air capabilities of the Lightning II will make a potent mix with the Typhoon when it enters service in 2018 and has been beautifully captured by Richard and Neil Talbot on this £2 coin.
Captain Cook £2
To mark the 250th anniversary of British explorer Captain James Cook’s Voyage of Discovery, The Royal Mint issued this historic £2 coin. The distinctive reverse was designed by Gary Breeze featuring the Stern of HM Bark Endeavour, Captain Cook’s famous ship, leaving Plymouth as the first in a three coin series that will be arranged together to reveal the full design.
Frankenstein £2
This £2 coin was issued by The Royal Mint to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s famous novel ‘Frankenstein’. The reverse of this gothic coin was designed by Thomas Doherty and features the words ‘Frankenstein’ in an electric gothic font and the edge inscription says ‘A SPARK OF BEING’.
Armistice £2
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, The Royal mint have issued this 2018 coin which completes the set of commemorative £2 coins released from 2014-2018 to mark the centenary of the First World War. The reverse was designed by Stephen Raw and features the words ‘The truth untold, the pity of war’, from the Wilfred Owen poem Strange Meeting.
With such poignant and stunning designs to choose from, it’s certainly going to be hard work to pick a favourite, but we can’t wait to see which £2 coin will come out on top!
The winning £2 will then be entered into our Coin Design of the Year vote as part of the 2018 Change Checker Awards, alongside the top 10p, 50p and £5 coins from 2018 to determine which coin should be crowned the overall winner!
The voting has now closed and the results can be seen below:
It’s now time for you to vote for your overall winner, shortlisted from Change Checker’s favourite A-Z 10p, 50p, £2 and £5 coin of the year.
View our full range of CERTIFIED BU £2 coins here >>
