General info
New Pence Two Pence – how much is the 1983 2p worth?
When the UK switched to decimal coinage in 1971, it was decided that the word ‘new’ would be included in the denomination on some of our coins to avoid confusion between the new decimal coinage and the old currency.
By 1982 the coins were no longer new so the word was dropped, and the 2p design changed from ‘New Pence’ to ‘Two Pence’.
A common misconception is that all ‘New Pence’ coins are rare, but in fact almost 1.5 billion of these coins were initially issued in 1971 and circulating mintage figures from decimalisation to 1981 (after which the design changed) are actually all in the hundreds of millions:
As you can see from the chart above, no 2p coins were issued for circulation between 1972 and 1974, so if you find one of these in your change it will actually be taken out of a Proof set, not intended for circulation.
1983 ‘New Pence’ Error 2p
After the design changed from ‘New Pence’ to ‘Two Pence’ in 1982, a mistake was made during production of a small number of 1983 coins…
These coins were actually struck with the old inscription – ‘New Pence’.
Whilst it’s not known exactly how many of these error coins were struck, in 1983 2p coins were only struck for commemorative sets and not issued for circulation. Evidence seems to suggest that affected coins were issued as part of special souvenir sets that also did not enter general circulation – although if these sets were broken open and spent then you could be in with the chance of finding one in your change…
How much is it worth?
If you’re lucky enough to find a 1983 ‘New Pence’ 2p in your change, not only does the rarity of this coin make it more collectable, but the coin was also struck in uncirculated quality – meaning it won’t have the scratches and blemishes of circulation coins.
This means a collector would most likely be willing to pay a little more to get hold of one on the secondary market.
The individual 1983 2p coin has been known to sell for £500 – £700, however the 1983 coin sets have been known to sell for over £1,000 on the secondary market!
If you do decide to look for this coin on the eBay and other secondary market sites, beware of fraudsters looking to pass off a ‘New Pence’ 2p from any other date as a rare coin.
The image below shows a 1971 2p coin listed for £2,000! Although this coin might be considered more collectable as it was the first UK 2p ever issued, this also means that nearly 1.5 billion 1971 2p coins were struck, making it the most common 2p coin issued.
Remember that it’s the 1983 version of the coin which was struck in error and this is the one you should be looking out for.
Have you ever come across a 1983 ‘New Pence’ 2p coin? Let us know in the comments below!
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
Vote for your favourite Paddington 50p!
In 2018 two Paddington 50p coins were issued to mark the 60th anniversary of Paddington’s first appearance in Michael Bond’s classic childhood tale.
Since then, we’ve seen four UK 50p coins feature the loveable character and now that all of the mintage figures have been revealed, we want to know which Paddington 50p coin is your favourite!
*** 2019 Vote ***
After the issue of the two 2019 Paddington 50p coins, Change Checker asked you to vote for your favourite and the 2018 Paddington at the Station 50p took 38% of the vote!
A very close second at 32% was the 2019 Paddington at St Paul’s 50p!
You can find out all the details about each of the Paddington 50ps below and let us know which one is your favourite in the comments.
2018 Paddington at the Station
This is the first UK 50p coin ever to feature Paddington Bear!
In 2018, The Royal Mint released this brand new 50p coin to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Paddington Bear featuring in Michael Bond’s much-loved book, ‘A Bear Called Paddington’.
The coin’s design by David Knapton is based on the modern adaptation from the CGI-live action movie, featuring Paddington on his suitcase in front of the station, wearing the famous tag around his neck, which reads ‘Please look after this bear. Thank you.’
It has a circulating mintage of 5,001,000.
2018 Paddington at the Palace
Much to the delight of both coin collectors and Paddington fans, a second coin was issued as part of the 2018 Paddington 50p series.
This coin features Paddington Bear outside Buckingham palace, waving his Union Jack flag. It has a circulating mintage of 5,901,000.
The always polite Paddington Bear has long been a family favourite and this coin pays tribute to the bear from Darkest Peru.
2019 Paddington at the Tower
Paddington’s London adventure continued into 2019 as two new UK Paddington 50p coins were issued that year.
This was the first coin in the 2019 series, which was released in August and it has a mintage of 9,001,000.
Paddington can be seen outside the Tower of London (former home of The Royal Mint). David Knapton’s design beautifully captures the day this very British bear brought marmalade sandwiches with him on a trip to the Tower – an iconic image I’m sure you’ll agree.
2019 Paddington at St Paul’s Cathedral
Whilst we know the design for this final coin in the 2019 Paddington series, we’ll have to wait a little while until the coin is released on the 12th September.
I’m sure collectors will be really keen to add this 2019 coin to their Paddington collection and continue his exploration around some of London’s most famous landmarks!
This coin shows the bear outside St Paul’s Cathedral and is inspired by Bond’s final book, “Paddington at St Paul’s” which was published last year to celebrate the 60th anniversary.
It has a circulating mintage of 9,001,000.
With four beautiful Paddington 50p coins to choose from, it’ll certainly be hard to pick a favourite, but we’re looking forward to seeing which design comes out on top when Change Checkers vote in our poll!
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Why you won’t find 2018 dated 1p and 2p coins in your change…
It’s been revealed that no 1p and 2p coins were struck for circulation by The Royal Mint last year.
This marks the first time in decades that no penny coins were struck in a year. In fact, the last time we saw a year with no new 1p coins was way back in 1972! And it’s been 35 years since the last time no new 2p coins were struck for circulation.
The future of the penny
Back in May 2019, the UK Treasury confirmed that 1p and 2p coins will continue to be used “for years to come”. Find out the full story here.
This news emerged following concerns that the 1p and 2p coins would be scrapped after their validity was questioned in the 2018 Spring Statement.
Members of the public were outraged by the idea of the humble penny being scrapped. However it isn’t just sentimental value which has safeguarded the future of the penny.
It’s estimated that around 2.2 people are thought to be reliant on cash to live their daily lives. This includes the elderly, vulnerable people and rural communities who would likely be hit hard if cash availability were to decline.
Card payments are on the rise
Nevertheless, it is clear that card and electronic payments are on the rise and whilst around 500 million 1p and 2p coins are usually issued each year, the fact that none were produced last year goes to show how low the demand for these coins currently is.
We already know that no 20p or £2 coins were struck for circulation in 2017 and it’s also been revealed that no £2 coins were struck for circulation in 2018 either.
A spokesperson from the Treasury said, “We didn’t ask the mint to issue any £2 or 1p/2p coins this past year because there are already enough of these in circulation. Our coins are of the highest quality and the amount we ask the Royal Mint to produce every year depends on demand from banks and Post Offices.”
Commemorative £2 coins
Despite no £2 coins entering circulation since 2016, collector editions of the new commemorative designs have still been produced by The Royal Mint to mark Britain’s most important anniversaries.
Whilst some people are happy to pay a little more to secure the latest coins in superior quality, others are understandably frustrated by the lack of coins entering circulation recently.
To give collectors the chance to own 2019 UK £2 and 50p coins for just face value, this year we launched the Change Checker Face Value Coin Ballot, which you can find out about here.
Spending a penny
It’s thought that around 10.5 billion 1p coins are currently in circulation, but the Treasury estimates that roughly 60% of copper coins are typically only used once before being stashed away or lost.
Despite the lack of 1p and 2p coins being struck for circulation last year, we know that the future of our UK coins is still secure (for now at least), but how often do you find yourself actually spending your 1p and 2p coins?
Let us know in our Facebook poll:
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