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The £2 coin has become a hidden treasure with our change, with some of the rarest examples of the coin being worth upwards of £500.
One rare £2 coin fetched more than £500 on eBay and is still believed to be in circulation despite an error that makes it extremely valuable to collectors.
Originally released in 2014 by the Royal Mint, the coin commemorates 100 years since the start of the First World War.
The coin shows the face of Lord Kitchener who featured on the “Your Country Needs You” posters.
While a normal version of the coin will be worth no more than its face value of £2, a batch of the coins featured a rare error that boost their value for collectors.
On some of the coins the words “Two Pounds” are missing on the head side of the coin.
According to experts at Coin Hunter, 5,720,000 of these coins are still in circulation but it appears to be “very rare” to find one without a date.
It isn’t clear exactly how many of coins with an error remain in circulation but the first of its kind sold in March 2020 for £500.
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Coin Hunter experts said on Facebook: “Check your coins that feature Lord Kitchener.
“If the heads side does not show ‘TWO POUNDS’ – you have an error that appears to be very rare.”
Royal Mint rarest £2 coins
These are the 9 rarest £2 coins according to the Royal Mint, and their mintage.
- Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland 2002 – 485,500
- Commonwealth Games, Wales 2002 – 585,500
- World War 1 Royal Navy Fifth Portrait 2015 – 650,000
- Britannia Fifth Portrait 2015 – 650,000
- Commonwealth Games, England 2002 – 650,000
- Commonwealth Games, Scotland 2002 – 771,750
- Olympic Games Handover 2012 – 845,000
- Olympic Games 2008 – 910,000
- Olympic Games Handover 2008 – 918,000
A Royal Mint spokesman said: “It’s been 27 years since the first UK £2 coins were struck for circulation, sparking a year of celebrations, but the coin’s history actually stretches back to 1986 when the first commemorative UK £2 coin was struck for the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.
“This was the first time a sporting event had been commemorated on UK coinage.
“Although these coins have the same diameter as the post-1997 circulating £2 coin, they are single-coloured nickel brass and much heavier.”
