Rare £2 coins: The 11 most valuable two pounds in circulation – from Mary Rose to Magna Carta. | The Sun
RARE £2 coins can fetch sums far beyond their face value.
If you have spare change stashed around the house it might be worth checking through it to see if you could have something valuable.
All of these valuable £2 coins were put into general circulation, which means that anyone could find on in their pocket.
So be sure to double-check before you hand over your £2 coin to pay for something as you could be giving away much more.
A coin is considered to be rare if it has a unique design, minting error or low mintage figure.
There are currently 55 different £2 coins in circulation that could fetch as much as £59, if found in the right condition.
Here are the top 11 rarest, according to Change Checker, and how much they have sold for on eBay in recent months.
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1. 2002 Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland – £59.95
7In 2002, four different designs of this £2 coin were created to commemorate the Commonwealth games, but the Irish version is the rarest with only 485,500 minted.
We've seen this coin sell for as much as £59.95 on eBay recently.
There's more money if you've got the complete set though.
One seller proved this right when all four coins went for a whopping £100.
2. 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland – £15
Out of all of the valuable Commonwealth coins, Scotland's is the second rarest.
The coin has a mintage of 771,750 – some 286,250 more than were released of the Irish version.
It features pretty much the same design as the other coins in the series but the Scottish flag is on the design instead.
Bidders on eBay have still paid higher than face value for the coin though, with a recent auction on the site concluding on £15.
3. 2002 Commonwealth Games England – £25
Another in the 2002 Commonwealth series, the English version is the eighth rarest coin in circulation.
Some 650,500 were minted at the time, making the coin rare enough for eBay bidders to happily pay as much as £25 for it.
The edge of this coin also has the inscription "Spirit of Friendship, Manchester 2002", which adds appeal to collectors too.
4. 2002 Commonwealth Games Wales – £16.75
With only 588,500 put into circulation, the 2002 Commonwealth Games Wales £2 coin celebrates Wales' achievements in the event.
The piece features a figure in motion holding a banner, encircling the Welsh flag.
It is the fourth rarest in the Commonwealth set and the fourth rarest in the overall list.
We've seen one sell on eBay for £16.75 in November this year.
5. London 2012 Handover – £42
At the end of each Olympic Games, the next host city of the Games is celebrated with a flag handover ceremony.
In 2012 we gave the flag to Rio to take on the next tournament.
That event was immortalised on the design of a £2 coin, with just 845,000 released into circulation.
We saw one sell for £42 on eBay recently.
6. King James Bible – £6.45
Next on the list is a coin showing the King James Bible.
One sold for £6.59 in November on eBay.
According to Change Checker, there are 975,000 in circulation.
7. 2015 First World War (Navy) – £5
There were also 650,000 of the First World War Navy £2 coins minted in 2015.
The coin features a battleship design by military artist David Rowlands and the 5th portrait of the Queen.
It's also the second in a five-coin series remembering the First World War and celebrates the efforts of the Royal Navy and their contribution to the war effort.
We've seen collectors on eBay willing to pay as much as £7 for it in recent months.
8. Olympic centenary – £14.94
Carrying on the sporting theme, the Olympic centenary £2 marked 100 years of the modern games in 2008.
There are 910,000 in circulation so finding one isn't such a tough ask.
We've seen one version sell on eBay for £14.94 recently.
9. Olympic handover – £6.50
Still in the top ten is the Olympic Handover coin.
This £2 details Beijing in 2008 handing over the Olympics to London for 2012, and shows the Olympic flag and two hands shaking.
One sold for precisely £6.50 in November this year.
There are 918,000 of these in circulation.
10. London Underground Roundel – £4
There are more than 1.5 million of these London Underground themed coins in circulation.
One showing the famous roundel of the capital's transport system sold for £4 in October 2023.
It's a little lower down the scarcity index currently, but it's still popular with collectors.
11. Mary Rose – £8
A circulated £2 showing the famous Mary Rose ship sold on eBay for £8.
There are just over one million in circulation, and it lands 11th on Change Checker's scarcity index.
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