2016 Great Fire of London £2 Coin
The 2016 Great Fire of London £2 is a circulating £2 with 1.63 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2016
- Circulation mintage
- 1,625,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- Aaron West
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 2016 Great Fire of London £2 worth?
1.63 million were made, so the 2016 Great Fire of London £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 2016 Great Fire of London £2 rare?
- No. 1.63 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2016 Great Fire of London £2 coins were made?
- 1,625,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2016 Great Fire of London £2?
- The design is credited to Aaron West.
- What is the 2016 Great Fire of London £2 made of?
- Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring. It weighs 12.0 g and measures 28.4 mm.
- Is the 2016 Great Fire of London £2 still legal tender?
- Yes. Every two-metal £2 coin, commemoratives included, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2016 Great Fire of London £2 was made
The Great Fire of London broke out in the early hours of 2 September 1666 at Thomas Farriner's bakery on Pudding Lane. Driven by a strong wind through streets of timber houses, it burned for about four days. By the time it was out, much of the old walled City lay in ruins, including around 13,000 houses, dozens of parish churches and old St Paul's Cathedral.
Rebuilding gave London Christopher Wren's new St Paul's and many of his churches. The Monument near Pudding Lane, designed by Wren and Robert Hooke, still marks the fire today. The Royal Mint commemorated the 350th anniversary in 2016 with this £2 by Aaron West. It was struck in fairly modest numbers, 1,625,000 for circulation, far fewer than the other £2 coins dated 2016. That makes it the one to look out for from that year, especially if you've already found the three Shakespeare designs and the Army coin in change. Few events in London's past changed the look of the city so completely, which is why the anniversary drew so much attention.
How to recognize it
The reverse shows London burning, with flames rising over the city and boats on the River Thames in the foreground. The inscription 1666 THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON 2016 runs around it, with TWO POUNDS below. The edge reads THE WHOLE CITY IN DREADFUL FLAMES. It's a busy design with a lot of small detail in the buildings and boats, so it repays a close look. On a worn coin the skyline merges into a blur, while a sharp one lets you pick out individual rooftops and hulls. The flames are the most striking part of the scene. Aaron West designed it.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2016 Great Fire of London £2 by the numbers
By the numbers, the 2016 Great Fire of London £2 ranks 15th lowest of 42 circulating £2 coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2013 London Underground Roundel £2 (1.56 million); the next more common is the 1995 United Nations £2 (1.67 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2005 End of World War II (VE Day 60) £2 with 10.2 million, about 6.3 times as many. The scarcest is the 1989 Claim of Right £2 with 381,400, 4.3 times fewer than this one.
It shared 2016 with 4 other circulating £2 designs: the Shakespeare Comedies (4.36 million), the Shakespeare Tragedies (4.62 million), the Shakespeare Histories (5.66 million) and the The Army (9.55 million). The 2016 Great Fire of London £2 was the scarcest of the year.
What to check on your 2016 Great Fire of London £2
- Read the edge. It should say THE WHOLE CITY IN DREADFUL FLAMES. 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.
At 1,625,000, the Great Fire £2 is the scarcest of the 2016 designs and lower than most commemoratives in change. Circulated coins carry a small premium, with more interest in sharp ones. Lower mintage £2 coins do attract fakes, so check the edge wording, the clear color difference between center and ring, a tight join and fine detail in the boats and buildings. The Royal Mint also issued it in presentation packs. A pack coin has clean, bright surfaces with none of the light scratches found on pocket change.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 pounds |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2016 |
| Circulation mintage | 1,625,000 |
| Composition | Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring |
| Weight | 12.0 g |
| Diameter | 28.4 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Lettered: THE WHOLE CITY IN DREADFUL FLAMES |
| Designer | Aaron West |
| Portrait | Clark |
Other 2016 £2 coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 Shakespeare Comedies £2 Coin | 4,355,000 | Face value |
| 2016 Shakespeare Histories £2 Coin | 5,655,000 | Face value |
| 2016 Shakespeare Tragedies £2 Coin | 4,615,000 | Face value |
| 2016 The Army £2 Coin | 9,550,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
How many Great Fire of London £2 coins are in circulation?
The Royal Mint struck 1,625,000 for circulation in 2016. That's a low figure next to the Shakespeare and Army £2 coins of the same year, so the Great Fire design is noticeably harder to find in change.
Where did the Great Fire of London start?
It began on 2 September 1666 in Thomas Farriner's bakery on Pudding Lane, near London Bridge. The 2016 £2 marks the 350th anniversary, showing the burning city with boats on the Thames in front.
Mintage figures: Two pound coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.