These rare £2 coins could be worth a mint one day

As Britons count the change left in their pockets after the holidays, they might find £2 coins worth up to £73 each.

Money experts at ChangeChecker have revealed a scarcity index of the 20 rarest £2 coins that are set to mint one day.

Many of the coins on the list are still in circulation. 

The rarest on the list is the 2002 Commonwealth games Northern Ireland £2 coin, which sells for up to £73 on eBay. 

Commonwealth coins take up four of the rarest five on the list, with the fifth being the London 2012 Handover £2 coin.

The handover coin celebrated the moment the mayor of Rio de Janeiro was handed the Olympic flag by IOC president Jaxques Rogge at the end of the 2012 games.

Here, MailOnline details the 20 rarest coins set to mint one day. 

Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland  

Designer: Matthew Bonaccorsi

Value: £72

Issued: 2002

Four versions of the 2002 Commonwealth Games £2 were produced – one for each of the teams participating from the UK.

The coin depicts a moving figure holding a long banner, with an inset of a flag.

The rarest is the Northern Ireland version, which has a mintage of just 485,500.

The coin is selling for up to £73 on eBay.

Commonwealth Games Wales  

Designer: Matthew Bonaccorsi

Value: £8

Issued: 2002

The Commonwealth Games Wales £2 was one of four £2 coins produced ahead of the games in 2002. 

It displays a similar design to the Northern Ireland coin described above, though it features a Welsh flag.

In total, there were 2.5million Commonwealth coins issued. Mintages for each of the designs range from 485,000 to 771,500.

The Welsh-themed coin from the games is worth quite a bit less than the Northern Ireland one, selling at just £8 on eBay. 

Experts say, however, it will increase in the future.

Commonwealth Games England  

Designer: Matthew Bonaccorsi 

Value: £8

Issued: 2002

The Commonwealth Games England £2 was one of four £2 coins produced ahead of the games in 2002.

Like the other three coins, it features a moving figure holding a banner, and additionally features and England flag.  

While all the Commonwealth Games coins are considered ‘rare’, only the Northern Ireland coin is worth more than £10.

As with the Welsh coin, the England-themed £2 is worth around £8, but experts believe the worth could increase.

Commonwealth Games Scotland  

Designer: Matthew Bonaccorsi

Value: £8

Issued: 2002

The Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 was one of four £2 coins produced ahead of the games in 2002.

It displays the same moving figure and banner as the other three coins, but also features a Scottish flag. 

Similar to the England and Wales coins, the Scotland coin is worth around £8. 

Experts believe the coin’s worth could increase in the future, as the Northern Ireland coin has. 

London 2012 Handover 

Designer: Jonathan Olliffe

Value: £12 circulated, £35 uncirculated

Issued: 2012

The London 2012 Handover coin celebrated the moment the mayor of Rio de Janeiro was handed the Olympic flag by IOC president Jaxques Rogge at the end of the 2012 games. 

The coin shows two hands meeting, as though they are handing over the Olympic relay baton.

With a mintage of 845,000, the coins sell for between £10 and £15 on eBay.

Uncirculated versions of the coins, however, are worth up to £35.

Olympic Centenary 

Designer: Thomas T Docherty

Value: £6

Issued: 2008

This coin was made to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1908 Olympic Games, which were moved from Rome to London after Mount Vesuvius erupted.

Almost all events were held in one stadium as London rushed to complete the arena in time for the games.

The coin shows a running track with ‘1908’ in it, along an inscription that states: ‘The fourth Olympiad London’.

With a mintage of 910,000 the coin sells for around £6 on eBay.

First World War Centenary (Navy) 

Designer: David Rowlands

Value: £10

Issued: 2015

The First World War Centenary marked the 100th anniversary of the First World War in 2015.

The coin features two boats in the ocean surrounded by birds and an aircraft. On the flipside is the fifth portrait of The Queen. 

With a mintage of 650,000, the coin sells for around £10 on eBay. One seller has the coin listed for £49.95. 

2008 Olympic Handover 

Designer: homas T Docherty

Value: £5

Issued: 2008

At the end of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the Royal Mint produced a coin to commemorate the handover to London ahead of the 2012 event.

The coin features two hands passing over a flag featuring the Olympic Rings.

It marked the moment the Mayor of Biejing handed the flag to the Mayor of London at the end of the 2008 event. 

The coin has a mintage of 918,000 and sells for around £5 on eBay. 

King James Bible 

Designer: Paul Stafford & Benjamin Wright

Value: £13 on eBay, £40 in mint condition

Issued:  2011

The King James Bible £2 was first issued in 2011. It has a mintage of 975,000 and is still in circulation.

The coin was first produced to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the release of the King James Bible in 1611.

It displays words from the Book of John on one side, saying: ‘In the beginning was the Word.’

Owners can expect to make around £13 if they sell it on eBay. Mint condition coins sell for around £40.

Mary Rose 

Designer: John Bergdahl

Value: £16

Issued: 2011

The 2011 Mary Rose £2 marks the 500th anniversary of the maiden voyage of the ship, the Mary Rose, in 1511.

The design features the warship in her prime, sailing across the sea.

The coin has a mintage of 1.04million and sells for around £16 on eBay.

London Underground Roundel 

Designer: Edwina Ellis

Value: £3

Issued: 2010

The London Underground Roundel marks the 150th anniversary of the opening of the first underground railway in London.

The engineering triumph took place in January 1863, and the coin celebrating the event features the iconic London Underground logo.

The coin has a mintage of 1.56million and sells for about £3 on eBay. 

Magna Carta 

Designer: John Bergdahl

Value: £3 to £3.15

Issued: 2015

A commemorative coin depicting King John issuing Magna Carta 800 years was issued in 2015.  

King John agreed Magna Carta at Runnymede, near Windsor, in June 1215 – a moment hailed as one of the most significant in English history. 

With a mintage of 1.49million, the coin sells on eBay for around £3 to £3.15.  

London Underground Train 

Designer: Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby

Value: £3.40 to £3.76

Issued: 2013

The London Underground Train coin was issued in 2013 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the London Underground.

The coin depicts a Victoria Line train moving out of the coin toward the observer.

It also features a linear representation of the London Tube map. 

With a mintage of 1.69million, the coin sells for between £3.40 and £3.76 on eBay.

Shakespeare Comedies 

Designer: John Bergdahl

Value: £2.50

Issued: 2016

The Shakespeare Comedies coin was one of three coins created in 2016 to celebrate William Shakespeare’s work on the 400th anniversary of his death.

The coin takes inspiration from the playwright’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and features a jester hat.

With a mintage of 4.35million, it sells for around £2.50 on eBay.

Robert Burns 

Designer: The Royal Mint Engraving Team

Value: Between £2.84 and £2.92

Issued: 2009

A Robert Burns-themed £2 coin was created in 2009 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the poet’s birth in 1759.

The design features handwrittin lines from Burns’s famous poem, ‘Auld Lang Syne’, and the edge inscription states: ‘Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot’.

With a mintage of 3.25million, it sells on eBay for between £2.84 and £2.92.

Guinea 

Designer: Anthony Smith ARBS

Value: £2

Issued: 2013 

The Royal Mint released the Guinea £2 coin in 2013 to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the Gold Guinea coin.

The Gold Guinea was the most popular coin when Britain became the world’s major colonial power.

With a mintage of 2.99million, it sells for around face value at £2 on eBay.

Great Fire of London 

Designer: Aaron West

Value: £3.15

Issued: 2016

A £2 coin released in 2016 commemorates the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London.

The fire broke out from an accidental spark in a baker’s oven and led to the destruction of a third of the city.

The coin, which depicts the city burning in flames, has a mintage of 5.13million, and sells on eBay for around £3.15.

DNA 

Designer: John Mills

Value: 2003

Issued: Between £2.94 and £2.99

The DNA £2 coin marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery of DNA at Cmbridge University in 1953.

The coin pays tribute to the ‘double helix’ structure discovered by Francis Crick and James Watson.

With a mintage of 4.29million, it sells on eBay for between £2.94 and £2.99.

Shakespeare Tragedies 

Designer: John Bergdahl

Value: Between £3.12 and £3.35

Issued: 2016

The Shakespeare Tragedies coin was one of three coins created in 2016 to celebrate William Shakespeare’s work on the 400th anniversary of his death.  

It pays tribute to Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, Hamlet, with a skull and rose on one side, and the quote: ‘What a piece of work is a man.’

With a mintage of 5.69million, the coin sells on eBay for between £3.12 and £3.35. 

Wireless Transmission 

Designer: Robert Evans

Value: £2

Issued: 2001

The 2001 Wireless Transmission £2 coin pays tribute to Marconi, who successfully sent wireless signals across the English Channel in 1901.

The coin marks the 100th anniversary of Marconi’s triumph and features radio waves on one side.

With a mintage of 4.55million, the coin sells for about face value on eBay.  



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