2014 First World War Outbreak £2 Coin
The 2014 First World War Outbreak £2 is a circulating £2 with 5.72 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2014
- Circulation mintage
- 5,720,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- John Bergdahl
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 2014 First World War Outbreak £2 worth?
5.72 million were made, so the 2014 First World War Outbreak £2 is easy to find. A circulated one is worth face value; collectors pay a little more only for uncirculated coins and coins still in their original Royal Mint pack.
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 2014 First World War Outbreak £2 rare?
- No. 5.72 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2014 First World War Outbreak £2 coins were made?
- 5,720,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2014 First World War Outbreak £2?
- The design is credited to John Bergdahl.
- What is the 2014 First World War Outbreak £2 made of?
- Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring. It weighs 12.0 g and measures 28.4 mm.
- Is the 2014 First World War Outbreak £2 still legal tender?
- Yes. Every two-metal £2 coin, commemoratives included, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2014 First World War Outbreak £2 was made
Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914. On the eve of the war the Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, is said to have remarked that the lamps were going out all over Europe and would not be lit again in their lifetime. That line became one of the most quoted of the period. It is still repeated whenever the war's outbreak is remembered. Within weeks an image of Lord Kitchener, the Secretary of State for War, pointing straight out at the viewer was being used to urge men to volunteer.
The centenary in 2014 launched a five-year run of £2 coins marking the First World War, one for each year from 2014 to 2018. This first coin, by John Bergdahl, was struck in large numbers: 5,720,000 for circulation. Its choice of image drew comment, since the Kitchener poster is among the most recognized pieces of wartime propaganda ever made. Later coins in the series honored the Royal Navy and the Army, among others, so this is the natural starting point if you want to collect the run.
How to recognize it
The reverse reproduces the famous recruiting poster: Lord Kitchener pointing straight out of the coin above the words YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU. Around it is THE FIRST WORLD WAR 1914-1918 with 2014 below. The edge reads THE LAMPS ARE GOING OUT ALL OVER EUROPE. Kitchener's pointing finger makes it easy to identify. The 2015 Royal Navy and 2016 Army coins share the same surrounding inscription but show a battleship and soldiers, so check the central image and the date. The face and outstretched hand are the high points that wear first, so judge condition there first. John Bergdahl designed it.
The other side carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1998 to 2015.
2014 First World War Outbreak £2 by the numbers
By the numbers, the 2014 First World War Outbreak £2 ranks 33rd lowest of 42 circulating £2 coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2016 Shakespeare Histories £2 (5.66 million); the next more common is the 2010 Florence Nightingale £2 (6.17 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2005 End of World War II (VE Day 60) £2 with 10.2 million, about 1.8 times as many. The scarcest is the 1989 Claim of Right £2 with 381,400, 15 times fewer than this one.
It shared 2014 with 1 other circulating £2 design: the Trinity House (3.71 million). The 2014 First World War Outbreak £2 was the most plentiful of the year.
What to check on your 2014 First World War Outbreak £2
- Read the edge. It should say THE LAMPS ARE GOING OUT ALL OVER EUROPE. 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 5,720,000 struck, the Kitchener £2 is common and a circulated one is face value. It's the start of the First World War set, though, so many people keep it to build the series alongside the scarce 2015 Royal Navy coin and the 2016 Army issue. Sharp examples where Kitchener's face and finger are crisp look much better than worn ones. The Royal Mint sold it in presentation packs; those coins are bright and unscratched, with every letter of the slogan sharp. Fakes of a coin this common are not a big concern.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 pounds |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2014 |
| Circulation mintage | 5,720,000 |
| Composition | Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring |
| Weight | 12.0 g |
| Diameter | 28.4 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Lettered: THE LAMPS ARE GOING OUT ALL OVER EUROPE |
| Designer | John Bergdahl |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Other 2014 £2 coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 Trinity House £2 Coin | 3,705,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Who is on the 2014 First World War £2?
Lord Kitchener, Britain's Secretary of State for War in 1914. The design copies the recruiting image in which he points at the viewer above the words YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU, one of the best known images of the war.
How many 2014 Kitchener £2 coins were made?
The Royal Mint struck 5,720,000 for circulation. That's plenty, so it turns up in change regularly. It is far more common than the 2015 Royal Navy £2 from the same series, which had a mintage of only 650,000.
Mintage figures: Two pound coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.