2002 Commonwealth Games England £2 Coin
The 2002 Commonwealth Games England £2 is a circulating £2 with 650,500 made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2002
- Circulation mintage
- 650,500
- Value band
- Small premium
- Designer
- Matthew Bonaccorsi
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 2002 Commonwealth Games England £2 worth?
At 650,500, the 2002 Commonwealth Games England £2 has a smaller run than most £2 coins, so collectors pay a small premium for it, especially in uncirculated condition. Well circulated examples sit close to face value.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with crisp edge lettering
- Original Royal Mint pack or presentation folder
- A genuine mint error such as a misaligned or wrong edge, confirmed by an expert
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 2002 Commonwealth Games England £2 rare?
- It is scarcer than most £2 coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 2002 Commonwealth Games England £2 coins were made?
- 650,500 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2002 Commonwealth Games England £2?
- The design is credited to Matthew Bonaccorsi.
- What is the 2002 Commonwealth Games England £2 made of?
- Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring. It weighs 12.0 g and measures 28.4 mm.
- Is the 2002 Commonwealth Games England £2 still legal tender?
- Yes. Every two-metal £2 coin, commemoratives included, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2002 Commonwealth Games England £2 was made
Manchester hosted the XVII Commonwealth Games in the summer of 2002, the largest multi-sport event staged in the UK up to that time. The city built a new stadium at Eastlands for the athletics, later converted into a Premier League football ground. The Games were widely judged a success that helped regenerate the east of the city. The year also marked the Queen's Golden Jubilee, which gave the event an extra sense of occasion.
For the Games the Royal Mint did something unusual: it struck four versions of the same £2, one for each home nation that competes separately at the Commonwealth Games. This one carries the flag of England. Each version was made in far smaller numbers than a normal £2. The England coin's 650,500 for circulation leaves it third of the four by scarcity, with Wales and Northern Ireland lower and only Scotland more plentiful. Collectors began hunting the set in their change. Genuine examples of all four are now sought after, which has also brought counterfeits into circulation.
How to recognize it
Matthew Bonaccorsi's design shows a stylized athlete holding a banner, with the inscription XVII COMMONWEALTH GAMES. On this version the flag of England, the cross of St George, features beside the athlete. The other three versions are identical except for the flag, so the flag is the only thing that tells you which one you have. An upright cross with nothing at its center means England. The edge reads SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP MANCHESTER 2002, the same on all four. Struck on the standard bimetallic blank, it has a silver-colored center and a gold-colored ring like any other £2 of the time. The obverse shows Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of the Queen.
The other side carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1998 to 2015.
2002 Commonwealth Games England £2 by the numbers
In mintage terms the 2002 Commonwealth Games England £2 ranks 5th lowest of 42 circulating £2 coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2015 Royal Navy £2 (650,000); the next more common is the 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 (771,750).
For scale, the most common is the 2005 End of World War II (VE Day 60) £2 with 10.2 million, about 16 times as many. The scarcest is the 1989 Claim of Right £2 with 381,400, 1.7 times fewer than this one.
It was released in 2002 alongside 3 other circulating £2 designs: the Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland (485,500), the Commonwealth Games Wales (588,500) and the Commonwealth Games Scotland (771,750). 2 of them had a smaller run.
What to check on your 2002 Commonwealth Games England £2
- Read the edge. It should say SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP MANCHESTER 2002. A wrong or missing edge inscription is the quickest sign of a counterfeit.
- Check the two metals: a silver-colored center and a gold-colored ring, with the ring tight and level all the way around.
- Weigh it: a genuine two-metal £2 weighs 12.0 g. Fakes are often a little light and softer in detail.
- Compare the portrait and lettering with a known genuine coin. Blurry letters, a flat portrait or uneven spacing point to a copy.
With 650,500 struck, the England coin is a real scarcity among circulating £2 coins and collectors pay well above face value for it, more so in uncirculated condition. Counterfeiters know this. On a genuine coin the edge lettering is sharp and reads SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP MANCHESTER 2002, not the standard £2 edge. The ring should be a yellow gold tone and the center silvery, with the center sitting tight in the ring. The athlete, banner and cross should have crisp outlines. Blurred detail or a wrong edge means the coin needs a closer look.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 pounds |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2002 |
| Circulation mintage | 650,500 |
| Composition | Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring |
| Weight | 12.0 g |
| Diameter | 28.4 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Lettered: SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP MANCHESTER 2002 |
| Designer | Matthew Bonaccorsi |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Other 2002 £2 coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 Coin | 771,750 | Small premium |
| 2002 Commonwealth Games Wales £2 Coin | 588,500 | Small premium |
| 2002 Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2 Coin | 485,500 | Small premium |
Frequently asked questions
How many England Commonwealth Games £2 coins were minted?
650,500 were struck for circulation. That is low for a £2, though not as low as the Northern Ireland version at 485,500 or Wales at 588,500. The Scottish version, at 771,750, is the most plentiful of the four.
How do you know a Commonwealth Games £2 is the England version?
Look at the flag next to the athlete. The England coin shows the upright cross of St George. Scotland has a diagonal saltire, Wales the dragon and Northern Ireland the Ulster Banner, which has a star and crown at its center.
Mintage figures: Two pound coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.