2019 Samuel Pepys £2 Coin
The 2019 Samuel Pepys £2 is a Royal Mint collector issue that was never released into circulation. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2019
- Issued as
- Collector packs and sets only
- Value band
- Small premium
- Designer
- Gary Breeze
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 2019 Samuel Pepys £2 worth?
This design was never released into circulation. The Royal Mint sold it in brilliant uncirculated packs and annual sets, so almost every example is a collector piece. One found in change is still legal tender at 2 pounds; out of its pack it brings a small premium at most, while a coin still sealed in its original packaging is what collectors want.
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 2019 Samuel Pepys £2 rare?
- It is scarcer than most £2 coins. It was never issued into circulation, so most examples are in collector packs.
- How many 2019 Samuel Pepys £2 coins were made?
- None were made for circulation. The Mint sold this design only in packs and sets.
- Who designed the 2019 Samuel Pepys £2?
- The design is credited to Gary Breeze.
- What is the 2019 Samuel Pepys £2 made of?
- Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring. It weighs 12.0 g and measures 28.4 mm.
- Is the 2019 Samuel Pepys £2 still legal tender?
- Yes. Every two-metal £2 coin, commemoratives included, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2019 Samuel Pepys £2 was made
Samuel Pepys kept his famous diary from 1660 until 31 May 1669, recording the Restoration, the Great Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of London in 1666 alongside his own household gossip. He was a naval administrator by profession and rose to become one of the most capable officials the navy had. He wrote the diary in shorthand, which kept it private until it was deciphered and published in the 1820s. He stopped because he feared his eyesight was failing and believed that writing would make him blind. In fact he lived for more than thirty years after that final entry. The Royal Mint marked 350 years since the diary ended with this two-pound coin in 2019.
The Pepys £2 was never sent out through the banks. The Royal Mint sold it as a brilliant uncirculated coin and in its 2019 annual sets, which were the only sources. So one found in your change was once kept in a pack and has since been spent. It's still a legal £2 that can be used for any purchase at face value, although most collectors would hold on to it.
How to recognize it
Gary Breeze, who also designed the Captain Cook coins, shows a hand holding a quill pen over a sheet of paper with Pepys' signature and the date MAY 31 1669, the day of the last entry. SAMUEL PEPYS DIARIST runs around the coin with 1669-2019 below. The edge inscription reads THE GOOD GOD PREPARE ME, the closing words of the diary itself, written as he faced what he thought was coming blindness. The obverse has the Jody Clark portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Quill, signature and that date make it unmistakable. The edge is the final confirmation. The quill is the easiest feature to spot at a glance.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2019 Samuel Pepys £2 by the numbers
No circulation mintage exists for the 2019 Samuel Pepys £2 because none were released to banks. The Royal Mint's other collector-only £2 coins dated 2019 were Wedgwood, D-Day and Captain Cook II.
No commemorative £2 dated 2019 was released for circulation, which is why so many people hunting change for new designs never see this one.
What to check on your 2019 Samuel Pepys £2
- Read the edge. It should say THE GOOD GOD PREPARE ME. 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 nothing struck for circulation, a spent Pepys £2 is a less common find in change than the commemoratives that went through the banks. Collectors are most interested in sharp, unhandled coins, which bring a collector premium, while worn ones generally earn a small premium. The fine lines of the quill and the handwriting wear down quickly, so they're a good guide to condition. On a genuine coin you'll see two distinct metals with no gap at the join and edge letters struck evenly into the rim.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 pounds |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2019 |
| Circulation mintage | None (collector issue) |
| Composition | Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring |
| Weight | 12.0 g |
| Diameter | 28.4 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Lettered: THE GOOD GOD PREPARE ME |
| Designer | Gary Breeze |
| Portrait | Clark |
Other 2019 £2 coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 Wedgwood £2 Coin | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2019 D-Day £2 Coin | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2019 Captain Cook II £2 Coin | Collector issue | Small premium |
Frequently asked questions
What does THE GOOD GOD PREPARE ME mean on the Pepys £2?
Those are the last words of Samuel Pepys' diary, written on 31 May 1669 when he stopped writing because he feared he was going blind. The Royal Mint used them as the edge inscription on this 2019 coin.
Who designed the Samuel Pepys £2?
Gary Breeze designed it. His reverse shows a hand writing with a quill beside Pepys' signature and the date MAY 31 1669. Breeze also designed the three Captain Cook £2 coins issued from 2018 to 2020.
Mintage figures: Two pound coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.