Rare 2p Coins
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- Rare 2p Coins
- Rare 2p Coins 1978
- Rare 2p Coins List
- Rare 2p Coins
- Rare 2p Coins 1999 Guernsey
- Rare 2p Coins 1979
Poppy collectors were given a 2p coin that they assumed was fake because it was silver. However, it turned out to be an incredibly rare and valuable ‘minting error’, where a blank 10p was. These coins are rather rare, and are considered collectors' items. citation needed It was originally planned that an alternative version of the 2p would be minted with a design representing Northern Ireland.
The 2p was first issued in 1971 (although 1971 coins were actually made available earlier in blue folders to enable the public to become familiar with them). With the penny, it is one of only two denominations that has been made to the same size specifications from decimalisation in 1971 right up to the present day.
Specifications are shown at the bottom of this page.
Obverse Type 1, used 1971 – 1984 (bust design by Arnold Machin):
Reverse Type 1, used 1971 – 1981 (and 1983 in error) (design by Christopher Ironside):
Edge: Plain.
The design:
The badge of the Prince of Wales with his motto ‘Ich Dien’ (I serve). ‘NEW PENCE’ above, ‘2’ below.
Dates:
1971, Mintage 1,454,856,250.
1972, None for circulation, an unknown amount for annual proof sets only.
1973, None for circulation, an unknown amount for annual proof sets only.
1974, None for circulation, an unknown amount for annual proof sets only.
1975, Mintage 145,545,000.
1976, Mintage 181,379,000.
1977, Mintage 109,281,000.
1978, Mintage 189,658,000.
1979, Mintage 260,200,000.
1980, Mintage 408,527,000.
1981, Mintage 353,191,000.
Collectability/Scarcity: 1 for the high mintage coins, 2 for 1972-1974 (for scale details see here)
Obverse Type 1, used 1971 – 1984 (bust design by Arnold Machin):
Reverse Type 2, used 1982 – 2008 (design by Christopher Ironside):
Edge: Plain.
The design:
The badge of the Prince of Wales with his motto ‘Ich Dien’ (I serve). ‘TWO PENCE’ above, ‘2’ below.
Dates:
1982, None for circulation, 205,000 for annual sets only.
1983, None for circulation, 631,000 for annual sets only.
1984, None for circulation, 158,820 for annual sets only.
Collectability/Scarcity (all): 2 (for scale details see here)
Obverse Type 1, mismatched with Reverse Type 1 for some 1983 coins
This rare coin, dated 1983 and with the ‘NEW PENCE’ reverse (type 1) was produced in error and appears to have only found its way into promotional packs of 1983 coins branded as either Heinz or Martini. It wasn’t actually noticed until decades later! To find one in circulation would be very rare indeed, in fact I don’t know of any confirmed examples that have been removed from their sets and circulated. There is still a lot of confusion and people getting the wrong end of the stick with the ‘NEW PENCE’ 2p reverses! It’s just the 1983 dated coin with the ‘NEW PENCE’ reverse that is rare. All the others were produced in high numbers.
Collectability/Scarcity (1983 NEW PENCE): 8 (for scale details see here)
Obverse Type 2, used 1985 – 1997 (bust design by Raphael Maklouf):
Reverse Type 2, used 1982 – 2008 (design by Christopher Ironside):
Edge: Plain.
Dates:
1985, Mintage 107,113,000.
1986, Mintage 168,967,500.
1987, Mintage 218,100,750.
1988, Mintage 419,889,000.
1989, Mintage 359,226,000.
1990, Mintage 204,449,700.
1991, Mintage 86,625,250.
1992, Mintage 102,247,000 in plated steel, 78,421 in bronze*.
1993, Mintage 235,674,000.
1994, Mintage 531,628,000.
1995, Mintage 124,482,000.
1996, Mintage 296,278,000.
1997, Mintage 496,116,000.
Collectability/Scarcity: 1 for all with the high mintage numbers, 2 for the bronze 1992 (for scale details see here)
*In 1992 the metal composition was changed from bronze to copper-plated steel (which is magnetic). The coins that went into the annual sets used bronze blanks and all of the coins issued for circulation were made of copper plated steel.
Note that there are also minor die differences concerning the reverses of two pence coins dated 1986-2008. Coins that went into BU annual sets often have minor differences in comparison to the coins that were for general circulation. More info here: http://www.predecimal.com/forum/topic/8211-portcullis-varieties-on-decimal-penny/?p=90600
Obverse Type 3, used 1998 – 2008 (bust design by Ian Rank-Broadley):
Reverse Type 2, used 1982 – 2008 (design by Christopher Ironside):
Edge: Plain.
Dates:
1998, Mintage 213,830,000* (98,676,000 bronze and 115,154,000 copper plated steel).
1999, Mintage 353,816,000.
2000, Mintage 536,659,000.
2001 Mintage 551,880,000.
2002, Mintage 168,556,000.
2003, Mintage 260,225,000.
2004, Mintage 356,396,000.
2005 Mintage 280,396,000.
2006, Mintage 170,637,000.
2007, Mintage 254,500,000.
2008, Mintage 10,600,000.
Collectability/Scarcity (all): 1 (for scale details see here)
*In 1998 the Royal Mint seem to have had some bronze blanks left over that needed to be used up and this date occurs both in the standard copper-plated steel and in the earlier (pre 1992) bronze alloy. Also, the 1999 coins that were made for proof sets are also known in copper-plated steel and bronze.
Obverse Type 4, used 2008 – 2015 (bust design by Ian Rank-Broadley):
Reverse Type 3, used 2008 onwards (design by Matthew Dent):
Edge: Plain.
The design:
The obverse is very similar to the previous but no longer has rim beads. The reverse is the upper right section of the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom.
Dates:
2008, Mintage 241,679,000.
2009, Mintage 150,500,500.
2010, Mintage 99,600,000.
2011 Mintage 114,300,000.
2012, Mintage 67,800,000.
2013, Mintage 40,600,000.
2014, Mintage 247,600,020.
2015, Mintage 89,900,000.
Obverse Type 5, used 2015 onwards (bust design by (Mr) Jody Clark):
Reverse Type 3, used 2008 onwards (design by Matthew Dent):
Edge: Plain.
Dates:
2015, Mintage 139,200,000.
2016, Mintage 185,660,000.
2017, Mintage 16,600,000.
2018, Mintage not yet known (what is known, is that none will appear in circulation, they can be found in sets only).
2019, Mintage not yet known.
Specifications for all current 2p coins:
Size: 25.91mm
Width: 1.85mm (bronze), 2.03mm (copper-plated steel)
Metal Composition 1971 – 1992 (and some 1998 coins): Bronze (97% copper, 2.5% zinc, 0.5% tin)
Metal Composition 1992 – date (except some 1998 coins): Steel core plated with copper.
Weight: 7.13 grammes
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Numismatics, or the hobby of collecting coins, is one of the most popular hobbies in the world. It is really amazing that a piece of metal comes to represent a higher value than its real worth. Well, that’s money for you. But there are some coins that value more than one could imagine, as much as millions of dollars. The value of a coin depends on the historical importance and rarity of the piece, and even minting errors.
Here is a list of top 10 rarest and most valuable coins in the world.
Rarest and Most Valuable Coins.
10. 1344 Edward III florin
Also known as Double Leopard, the Florin was introduced in 1344 by English king Edward III. The coin had a value of 6 shillings and was aimed to be used across all Europe. The obverse of the coin depicted the King enthroned beneath a canopy, with two leopards’ heads at the sides and the reverse shows the Royal cross within a quatrefoil and a leopard in each spandrel. The coin, however, was withdrawn only a few months later. It is probably the rarest coin in the history of British numismatics. Only three specimens of this coin are known to exist currently. One piece is privately owned, which was sold at auction in July 2006 for $6, 80,000, record price for a British coin. The other two are exhibited in the British Museum.
9. 1907 Saint-Gaudens double eagle Ultra High Relief
This coin was released in with face value of $20 in 1907. The coin was designed by renowned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Its high relief rendered the coins difficult to be struck, and only about two dozen pieces were produced. These are known as ‘Ultra High Relief’ specimens now. Later the design was modified many times and the coin continued till 1933. Two specimens of the 1907 coin are housed in the Smithsonian museum. One specimen was sold at an auction in 2005 for nearly $3 million.
8. 1822 Half Eagle
The 1822 Half Eagle is one of the rarest coins in the history of numismatics. It was released in $5 denomination by the U.S. Mint. The Capped Head Half Eagle on the coin was designed by John Reich. Around 17,796 pieces of this gold coin were produced, but there are only three specimens known to exist now. Two of them are housed by the National Numismatic Collection of the Smithsonian Institution. The other specimen was sold in 1982 for nearly seven hundred thousand USD.
7. Liberty Head Nickel
The Liberty Head nickel is a 5-cent coin issued in 1913. It was produced without the authorization of the United States Mint, and in a very limited numbers. The existence of the coins became public knowledge only in 1920, all of which were owned by Samuel Brown, a former employee of the Mint. A specimen of the liberty nickel became the first coin to acquire a price of US$100,000 in 1972. In 1996, another specimen became the first to break the million-US$ barrier. Only five specimens of the coin exist now. A specimen was sold for $3.7 million in 2010.
6. 1804 Silver Dollar
Rare 2p Coins
The sixth place in the list of most valuable coins is occupied by 1804 silver dollar. These coins were not actually minted in 1804, but in the 1830s. Featuring the bust of Liberty, this dollar coin was produced as part of diplomatic gifts for Edmund Roberts in his diplomatic missions to Siam and Muscat. These coins are divided into three ‘Classes’, and only 15 specimens are known to exist. The Class I specimens are the most valuable ones. One specimen of Class I, previously owned by the Sultan of Muscat, was sold for $4.1 million in 1999.
5. 2007 Queen Elizabeth II
Produced in 2007 by the Royal Canadian Mint, it was the first coin in the world with a face value of a million dollars. Each specimen was made of 100 kg gold with 99.99% purity. Depicting Queen Elizabeth II on one side and three Maple leaves on the opposite, they were made to promote Canada’s new line of Maple Leaf gold coins. Five of the coins have been purchased so far. One specimen was sold for $4.02 million at an auction in Vienna in 2009.
4. 1787 Brasher Doubloon
This is a gold coin made by the goldsmith Ephraim Brasher from New York. He produced the coins on his own, along with copper coins, when the New York state legislature rejected his appeal to mint new copper coins. There are a few varieties, based on Brasher’s hallmark on the coins. One specimen which has the mark on eagle’s breast was sold for $7.4 million in 2011 and one with marks on the eagle’s wings was sold for $4.5 million in 2014. Only a few coins of these types exist now.
Rare 2p Coins 1978
3. 1933 Double Eagle
Rare 2p Coins List
This 20-dollar gold coin was minted in 1933 by the United States. However, it was withdrawn in the same year, despite minting more than four hundred thousand specimens. Designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the coin depicted the Lady Liberty, holding a torch and olive branch. The coins were never circulated and almost all the pieces were melted down, although a few were stolen and got into the hands of collectors. Some of them were recovered and destroyed. Less than 15 specimens exist now, including one that was sold for $7.59 million in an auction in 2002. U.S. National Numismatic Collection houses two and ten others are held in Fort Knox.
2. Flowing Hair Dollar
Rare 2p Coins
First minted in 1794, the Flowing Hair dollar was the first dollar coin issued by the United States federal government. It was designed by Robert Scot, its size and weight resembling those of the then popular Spanish dollar. The coin, composed of silver and copper, sported a bust of liberty on one side and an eagle on the other. It was replaced the next year. The historical importance and rarity makes it a favourite of the collectors. In 2013, a specimen of the 1794 mint was auctioned for a record $10 million.
Rare 2p Coins 1999 Guernsey
1. Double Eagle (1849)
Rare 2p Coins 1979
With only one specimen existing, this coin is probably the rarest and most valuable coin in U.S. history. It is one of the two trial pieces that heralded the era of the $20 coins, nicknamed Double Eagles. The coin was minted in 1850, though it bears the year 1849. Its production coincided with the beginning of the California gold rush. The existing specimen of this coin is now preserved at National Numismatic Collections at the Smithsonian museum. It is valued at almost $20 million.