2019 Wedgwood £2 Coin
The 2019 Wedgwood £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
- Wedgwood Design Team
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 Wedgwood £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 Wedgwood £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 Wedgwood £2 coins were made?
- None were made for circulation. The Mint sold this design only in packs and sets.
- Who designed the 2019 Wedgwood £2?
- The design is credited to Wedgwood Design Team.
- What is the 2019 Wedgwood £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 Wedgwood £2 still legal tender?
- Yes. Every two-metal £2 coin, commemoratives included, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2019 Wedgwood £2 was made
Josiah Wedgwood set up his pottery business in Burslem, Staffordshire, in 1759. He was a restless experimenter who ran thousands of trials on clays and glazes. His cream colored earthenware won royal favor as Queen's Ware. He went on to develop jasperware, the matte stoneware with white relief on a colored ground that most people still picture when they hear the name. In 1769 he opened a new factory, Etruria, near Stoke-on-Trent. He ran his works on modern lines and campaigned against the slave trade. The Royal Mint marked 260 years of the Wedgwood company with this two-pound coin in 2019.
Collectors were the only buyers this coin was meant for. The Royal Mint sold it in brilliant uncirculated packs and the 2019 annual sets but never supplied it to banks for circulation. If you've been handed one in a shop, someone bought it new and then spent it. Being a collector issue doesn't take anything away from its status. It's legal tender and passes for two pounds like any other.
How to recognize it
The reverse shows a Wedgwood vase, with WEDGWOOD around the top and 1759-2019 below. It's credited to the Wedgwood Design Team, which makes this unusual: a coin designed by the in-house team of the company it honors. The edge reads EVERYTHING GIVES WAY TO EXPERIMENT, a fitting line for a founder who worked through endless trials before he was satisfied with a glaze. The obverse carries the Jody Clark portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Check the edge wording and the 1759-2019 dates. Together with the vase they rule out any other £2, even one of the many vase shaped tokens and medals around.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2019 Wedgwood £2 by the numbers
No circulation mintage exists for the 2019 Wedgwood £2 because none were released to banks. The Royal Mint's other collector-only £2 coins dated 2019 were Samuel Pepys, 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 Wedgwood £2
- Read the edge. It should say EVERYTHING GIVES WAY TO EXPERIMENT. 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.
The Wedgwood £2 has no circulation mintage, so it's an odd one to find spent compared with the everyday £2 coins. Its audience includes pottery collectors as well as coin collectors. A pack coin or a clean set coin carries a collector premium; one that has rattled around in pockets typically earns a small premium. If you suspect a copy, look at the join between the yellow outer ring and the silver center. On a real coin it is crisp and close, with edge letters that are sharp, not blurred.
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: EVERYTHING GIVES WAY TO EXPERIMENT |
| Designer | Wedgwood Design Team |
| Portrait | Clark |
Other 2019 £2 coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 Samuel Pepys £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
Who designed the Wedgwood £2 coin?
The design is credited to the Wedgwood Design Team, the company's own designers, which is unusual for a British coin. It shows a vase with WEDGWOOD above and 1759-2019 below. The edge reads EVERYTHING GIVES WAY TO EXPERIMENT.
Was the 2019 Wedgwood £2 ever in circulation?
Not officially. The Royal Mint released it only in brilliant uncirculated packs and the 2019 annual sets. A coin found in change has escaped from one of those and is still legal tender at two pounds.
Mintage figures: Two pound coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.