2016 Shakespeare Histories £2 Coin
The 2016 Shakespeare Histories £2 is a circulating £2 with 5.66 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
- 5,655,000
- 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 2016 Shakespeare Histories £2 worth?
5.66 million were made, so the 2016 Shakespeare Histories £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 Shakespeare Histories £2 rare?
- No. 5.66 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2016 Shakespeare Histories £2 coins were made?
- 5,655,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2016 Shakespeare Histories £2?
- The design is credited to John Bergdahl.
- What is the 2016 Shakespeare Histories £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 Shakespeare Histories £2 still legal tender?
- Yes. Every two-metal £2 coin, commemoratives included, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2016 Shakespeare Histories £2 was made
Shakespeare's history plays turned centuries of English royal politics into drama, from King John to Henry VIII, with the long struggle of the Wars of the Roses at their heart. For many people they still provide the picture of kings like Richard III and Henry V. When the Royal Mint marked 400 years since the playwright's death in 2016, it gave the histories their own £2 alongside separate coins for the comedies and tragedies.
The image is a crown with a dagger thrust through it, a neat summary of plays in which power is seized, lost and fought over. The edge quotes Richard II, the king who loses his throne and reflects on the hollow crown that sits on a monarch's head with death keeping court inside it. It's one of the darkest speeches in the histories and a fitting choice for a coin about kingship. John Bergdahl designed this coin as well as its two companions. At 5,655,000 for circulation, the histories coin had the highest mintage of the three, so it's the Shakespeare design you'll meet most in change.
How to recognize it
A crown sits at the center with a dagger driven through the middle of it, a stark image of power and violence. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE runs around the coin with 2016 at the bottom. The edge reads THE HOLLOW CROWN, from Richard II. Of the three 2016 Shakespeare £2 coins, this is the one with a crown, while the comedy coin shows a jester's hat and the tragedy coin a skull. Look for fine detail on the crown and along the dagger's blade, which are the high points that wear first. Coins straight from a pack show the blade's edge clearly. John Bergdahl is the designer.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2016 Shakespeare Histories £2 by the numbers
By the numbers, the 2016 Shakespeare Histories £2 ranks 32nd lowest of 42 circulating £2 coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 1996 Euro 96 £2 (5.14 million); the next more common is the 2014 First World War Outbreak £2 (5.72 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 2016 with 4 other circulating £2 designs: the Great Fire of London (1.63 million), the Shakespeare Comedies (4.36 million), the Shakespeare Tragedies (4.62 million) and the The Army (9.55 million). 3 of them had a smaller run.
What to check on your 2016 Shakespeare Histories £2
- Read the edge. It should say THE HOLLOW CROWN (quote from Richard II). 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 5,655,000 made, this is the most plentiful of the Shakespeare trio and a face value coin when worn. If you already have the other two, this is usually the easiest to add. Uncirculated examples carry a small premium at most. It's not a usual target for forgers, but checking the edge for THE HOLLOW CROWN quickly confirms the right design. Royal Mint packs give you a bright, crisp version if you want the whole set in top condition, with no rubbing on the crown's points.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 pounds |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2016 |
| Circulation mintage | 5,655,000 |
| Composition | Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring |
| Weight | 12.0 g |
| Diameter | 28.4 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Lettered: THE HOLLOW CROWN (quote from Richard II) |
| Designer | John Bergdahl |
| Portrait | Clark |
Other 2016 £2 coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 Shakespeare Comedies £2 Coin | 4,355,000 | Face value |
| 2016 Shakespeare Tragedies £2 Coin | 4,615,000 | Face value |
| 2016 The Army £2 Coin | 9,550,000 | Face value |
| 2016 Great Fire of London £2 Coin | 1,625,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of the hollow crown on the Shakespeare £2?
It comes from Richard II, where the king reflects that death holds court inside the hollow crown of every monarch. The phrase sums up the history plays, which show again and again how fragile royal power can be.
Which Shakespeare £2 is the most common?
The histories coin, with 5,655,000 struck for circulation. The tragedies coin had 4,615,000 and the comedies coin 4,355,000. All three are easy to find, but the crown design turns up most often.
Mintage figures: Two pound coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.