2022 25 Years of the £2 £2 Coin
The 2022 25 Years of the £2 £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
- 2022
- Issued as
- Collector packs and sets only
- Value band
- Small premium
- Designer
- Bruce Rushin
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 2022 25 Years of the £2 £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 2022 25 Years of the £2 £2 rare?
- It is scarcer than most £2 coins. It was never issued into circulation, so most examples are in collector packs.
- How many 2022 25 Years of the £2 £2 coins were made?
- None were made for circulation. The Mint sold this design only in packs and sets.
- Who designed the 2022 25 Years of the £2 £2?
- The design is credited to Bruce Rushin.
- What is the 2022 25 Years of the £2 £2 made of?
- Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring. It weighs 12.0 g and measures 28.4 mm.
- Is the 2022 25 Years of the £2 £2 still legal tender?
- Yes. Every two-metal £2 coin, commemoratives included, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2022 25 Years of the £2 £2 was made
The bimetallic two-pound coin first appeared with a 1997 date, although it only reached people's pockets in 1998. It was Britain's first bimetallic circulating coin in three centuries. It soon became a familiar part of British change. Its original definitive reverse, by Bruce Rushin, traced technological progress in four rings from the Iron Age to the computer age. The edge carried a phrase Isaac Newton used in a letter about building on the work of earlier thinkers. That design stayed in use until 2015, when Antony Dufort's Britannia took over as the standard £2. In 2022 the Royal Mint marked 25 years of the coin by bringing back Rushin's design with one small change.
This anniversary version wasn't made for circulation. The Royal Mint sold it as a brilliant uncirculated coin and in the 2022 annual sets. So if one appears in change, someone spent it out of a pack. It's legal tender at two pounds. Because it closely resembles the common 1997 design, it's also an easy collector £2 to spend by mistake.
How to recognize it
The reverse is Bruce Rushin's original definitive design with the number 25 placed in the middle. Everything else, including the rings representing different eras of technology, matches the earlier coin. The edge reads STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS, the same inscription used on the definitive £2 for many years. The obverse shows Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark. So to tell this coin from an ordinary one, look at the center for the 25 and check the date: 2022. Hold it under a good light. If there is no number 25, you have the regular definitive, which is a common coin worth face value.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2022 25 Years of the £2 £2 by the numbers
No circulation mintage exists for the 2022 25 Years of the £2 £2 because none were released to banks. The Royal Mint's other collector-only £2 coins dated 2022 were Alexander Graham Bell, Dame Vera Lynn and FA Cup.
No commemorative £2 dated 2022 was released for circulation, which is why so many people hunting change for new designs never see this one.
What to check on your 2022 25 Years of the £2 £2
- Read the edge. It should say STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS. 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.
There's no circulation mintage, which sets this coin apart from the many millions of Rushin definitive coins in change. That makes it easy to miss. Check every £2 with this design for the 25 at the center. Pack coins carry a collector premium; a worn spent one usually a small premium. The edge alone won't help you here, since the regular coins share it. A genuine coin has the standard bimetallic build, a gold-colored ring around a silver-colored center, with a tight join and no gap.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 pounds |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2022 |
| 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: STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS |
| Designer | Bruce Rushin |
| Portrait | Clark |
Other 2022 £2 coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Alexander Graham Bell £2 Coin | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2022 Dame Vera Lynn £2 Coin | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2022 FA Cup £2 Coin | Collector issue | Small premium |
Frequently asked questions
How do you tell the 25 Years £2 from a normal £2?
Look at the center of the coin. The anniversary version has the number 25 in the middle of Bruce Rushin's design and a 2022 date. The edge reads STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS, as on the regular coins, so it won't help.
Was the 25 Years of the £2 coin issued into circulation?
No. It was sold only in brilliant uncirculated packs and the 2022 annual sets. Because it looks so like the common design, examples do sometimes get spent unknowingly. It remains legal tender for two pounds.
Mintage figures: Two pound coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.