This article is about the circulating £2 coins first issued 1998 (dated 1997) and the commemorative coins issued from 1986 to 1996. For earlier two pound coins, see double sovereign.
Two pounds
United Kingdom
Value
£2
Mass
12 g
Diameter
28.4 mm
Thickness
2.5 mm
Edge
Milled, with incuse lettering
Composition
Outer ring: Nickel-brass (76% Cu, 20% Zn and 4% Ni) Centre: Cupro-nickel (75% Cu , 25% Ni)
Years of minting
1997–present
Obverse
Design
Queen Elizabeth II
Designer
Jody Clark
Design date
2015
Reverse
Design
Britannia
Designer
Antony Dufort
Design date
2015
The British two pound coin (£2) is a denomination of sterling coinage. Its obverse has featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II since the coin’s introduction. Three different portraits of the Queen have been used, with the current design by Jody Clark being introduced in 2015. The reverse design features Britannia.
The coin was introduced on 15 June 1998 (coins minted 1997) after a review of the United Kingdom's coinage decided that a general-circulation £2 coin was needed.[1] The new bi-metallic coin design replaced a series of commemorative, uni-metallic coins which were issued between 1986 and 1996 to celebrate special occasions. Although legal tender, those earlier coins had never been common in everyday circulation.
As of March 2014 there were an estimated 417 million £2 coins in circulation with an estimated face value of £834 million.[2]
Beyond the usual commemorative versions, no standard two pound coins have been minted for general circulation since 2016, although examples have been issued in uncirculated sets at a premium. This was because the concurrent introduction of the new version of the one pound coin had put enough £2 (and 20 pence) coins back into circulation, as people emptied coin jars primarily for the older one pound coin that was due to be withdrawn.[3]
£2 coins are legal tender to any amount when offered in repayment of a debt; however, the coin's legal tender status is not normally relevant for everyday transactions.
^Two Pound Coin Designs and Specifications, Royal Mint
^"Mintage Figures". Royal Mint. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
^"Why the Royal Mint stopped making 20p coins". BBC News. 10 May 2019.
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