Treasure the Spirit of Britain With a Britannia Two Pound Coin
Britannia, the ancient deity who represents Britain, has been a feature of English and British coinage since the 1670s. However, the design for the 50 pence piece released in 2008 replaced the traditional image of Britannia, leaving the currency without her image until the introduction of a new two-pound coin in 2015. This Britannia 2015 coin is a sought-after piece of Britain's numismatic history and is available for purchase on eBay.
What makes the Britannia two-pound coin valuable?
Despite the widespread interest in the new Britannia 2015 two-pound coin, the Royal Mint only released around 650,000 of them. That might seem like a large number, but it's a small volume compared to the other two pound coins in circulation. Collectors sought out these coins, further reducing the number in circulation. As a result, the Britannia £2 became one of the rarest two-pound coins. This rarity adds to the Britannia two-pound coin's value.
Rare Britannia two-pound coin types
Not all Britannia two pound coins from 2015 coins are alike. The rarest type of this coin features a minting error that increases its value further. On a normal Britannia two pound coin from 2015, the bust of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse and the image of Britannia on the reverse are on the same orientation. However, on a small percentage of the issued coins, the bust on the obverse is out of alignment, making it appear upside-down. There are no exact figures for how many of these coins are in circulation, but it could be as few as 3,250.
How many different types of Lady Britannia two-pound coin are there?
After the limited 2015 release, the Britannia two-pound coin remained the standard design for this value. Each year, the Royal Mint releases a number of different two-pound coin designs, with the standard Britannia two-pound coin among them. In some years, however, these are not minted for circulation; the 2017 Britannia two pound coin is only available in sets rather than in circulation.
Identifying fake two pound coins
Because of the collectable value of the Britannia two-pound coin, some fake versions are in circulation. Some of these are intended simply as counterfeit currency, while others are designed to fool coin collectors. Some common traits of fake coins include:
- Missing TWO POUNDS text on the image of Britannia.
- Lack of detail on the Queen's bust.
- Gap between the two metal components of the coin.