Rarest 2 Pounds in circulation according the to Royal Mint
By Coinsanduk | Wednesday, 1 October 2025
The list of rarest £2 by the Royal Mint published in 2024. Some of these coins where only released issued in folders, uncirculated or proof sets.
1. 2 Pounds 2002 Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland
Mintage: 485,500
Features the Ulster Banner alongside a victorious figure, this coin celebrates the XVII Commonwealth Games which was hosted by the City of Manchester, the Royal Mint launched official Commonwealth Games £2 coin in 2002.
The reverse of the coin has been designed to represent celebration, victory and sportsmanship. It shows a moving figure holding a banner in the air, the top of which is divided into lines symbolising the lanes of a running track or those of a swimming pool.
The XVII Commonwealth Games commemorative £2 coin was available in four versions representing England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with each version distinguished by the flag of the competing nation.
Commonwealth Games - 2 Pounds 2002 »
Cherished for its rarity and connection to the momentous sporting event, the 2002 Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2 coin is a gem with collectors. [...] The coin holds a special place in the hearts of collectors and sporting enthusiasts.
- Royal Mint
2. 2 Pounds 2002 Commonwealth Games - Wales
Mintage: 588,500
Like the number 1 on this list, the design was the work of the Royal Mint engraver and sculptor Matthew Bonaccorsi. His design was chosen as the winner by the Royal Mint Advisory Committee.
Two Pounds 2002 - British Coins Price Guide and Values »
3. 2 Pounds 2015 First World War Royal Navy Fifth Portrait
Mintage: 650,000
As part of the commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, this £2 coin honoured the Royal Navy.
Military artist David Rowlands oil painting was use for the design on the reverse of this coin. He was commissioned to record the activities of many many regiments in their roles during many decades, taking him to Northern Island, Germany, Cyprus, Oman, the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan.
This was David's third coin for The Royal Mint, two of his reverse designs were selected for the Six-Coin Set of £5 coins commemorating the Outbreak of the First World War.
Imposing and central to the composition, the battleship (HMS Royal Oak, a revenge-class battleship commissioned during the war) churns the water at its stern and a lone seaplane is mirrored by birds flying overhead.
The edge inscription reads THE SURE SHIELD OF BRITAIN.
A Royal Navy with the 4th portrait (instead of 5th) was also released in Mint Sets.
Two Pounds 2015 - British Coins Price Guide and Values »
4. 2 Pounds 2015 Britannia Fifth Portrait
Mintage: 650,500
Britannia first appeared on coins back in the Roman era. In the second century AD Emperor Hadrian introduced a number of coins that depicted a female figure who personified Britain, with the label BRITANNIA.
When the Romans left Britain in the early 400s, Britannia vanished from coins and wasn't to appear again for several centuries. In fact it wasn't until Elizabeth I's reign in the 1600s that Britannia started to play a part in national life once more. She featured in contemporary drama and literature, symbolising the growing maritime empire of the Tudor queen.
Britannia continued to reign supreme on the copper and bronze coins of every monarch. When the UK switched to decimal coinage in 1971, Britannia appeared on the definitive 50p coin. Her lasting presence on our coins made her the perfect choice when The Royal Mint was choosing a subject to appear on coins for the international bullion markets.
She was an appealing and distinctive figure that was also instantly recognisable as British. She featured on the first gold Britannia coins in 1987 and on the first silver Britannia coins in 1997.
Britannia - The Spirit of a Nation »
5. 2 Pounds 2002 Commonwealth Games - England
Mintage: 650,000
The 2002 Commonwealth Games England edition is the third rarest coin in the 2002 Commonwealth Games collection of designs. Displaying a figure in motion holding a banner, designed by Matthew Bonaccorsi, the reverse of the coin features the Saint George’s Cross, encircled to the left.
Commonwealth Games - 2 Pounds 2002 »
6. 2 Pounds 2015 Commonwealth Games - Scotland
Mintage: 771,750
The 2002 Commonwealth Games held in Manchester, England, marked a significant milestone in British sporting history as the largest multi-sport event ever hosted in the UK.
The £2 commemorative coin series for the 2002 Commonwealth Games includes designs representing the four countries of the UK. The Scotland edition features an edge inscription that reads SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP, MANCHESTER 2002, whilst the reverse, created by artist and sculptor Matthew Bonaccorsi, shows a dynamic figure holding a banner aloft, symbolising celebration, victory and sportsmanship.
Two Pounds 2002 - British Coins Price Guide and Values »
7. 2 Pounds 2012 Olympic Games Handover
Mintage: 845,000
This coins was struck to commemorate the transition of the Olympic Games from London to Rio de Janeiro. The 2012 Olympic Games Handover £2 coin symbolises the passing of the Olympic flag from one host city to another.
The reverse design, created by Jonathan Olliffe, depicts a baton being passed between two hands, with the flags of the UK and Brazil joined in motion. Like its predecessor, the coin carries the edge inscription I CALL UPON THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD.
The design depicts a baton handover in a relay race.
Two Pounds 2012 - British Coins Price Guide and Values »
8. 2 Pounds 2008 Olympic Games
Mintage: 910,000
For the upcoming London 2012 Olympic Games, the Royal Mint produced a coin commemorating the centenary of the 1908 London Olympic Games. Designed by Thomas T. Docherty, a product designer at The Royal Mint, the reverse of the coin features a dynamic illustration of a running track with the years 1908 and 2008 displayed within the outlines. The edge inscription reads THE 4TH OLYMPIAD LONDON.
Two Pounds 2008 - British Coins Price Guide and Values »
9. 2 Pounds 2008 Olympic Games Handover
Mintage: 918,000
Also designed by Thomas T. Docherty, the reverse features the passing of the Olympic flag from hand to hand, Beijing 2008 on the left and London 2012 on the right. It bears the inscription I CALL UPON THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD along its edge.
The coin was produced to celebrate the potential of the world's youth and the unity of the games.
- Royal Mint
Composition
- Outer composition: Nickel-Brass
- Inner composition: Cupro-Nickel (75% copper / 25% nickel)
- Diameter: 28.4 mm
- Weight: 12 g
- Thickness: 2.5 mm
Silver, silver piedfort and gold versions exist for the majority of the coins above.
