1983 2p Coin
The 1983 2p 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
- 1983
- Issued as
- Collector packs and sets only
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- Bronze (97% copper, 2.5% zinc, 0.5% tin)
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 1983 2p worth?
No 1983 2p coin was issued for circulation: the Royal Mint struck that date only for its annual collector sets. A set coin that was spent can turn up in change, which is why 1983 is a date collectors look for. Expect a small premium, more for coins still in the original set.
What would make yours worth more:
- Full original color
- A coin from a sets-only year
- A recognized variety or genuine error such as the 1983 NEW PENCE mule
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1983 2p rare?
- It is scarcer than most 2p coins. It was never issued into circulation, so most examples are in collector packs.
- How many 1983 2p coins were made?
- None were made for circulation. The Mint sold this design only in packs and sets.
- What is the 1983 2p made of?
- Bronze (97% copper, 2.5% zinc, 0.5% tin). It weighs 7.12 g and measures 25.9 mm.
- Is the 1983 2p still legal tender?
- Yes. The 2p is legal tender, though 1p and 2p coins together only have to be accepted for payments up to 20p.
The 1983 2p coin in context
The 1983 2p is one of the most famous error coins in British decimal history. By 1983 the 2p should have read TWO PENCE, as it had since 1982. Some 1983 coins, however, were struck with the old reverse reading NEW PENCE. A coin made from two dies that were never meant to be used together is called a mule. This one paired a 1983 obverse with a reverse that should have been retired.
The error turned up in some 1983 uncirculated sets. No 2p coins were struck for circulation that year at all, so even the normal 1983 2p is a sets-only coin. There is no official figure for how many mules were made, which adds to the mystery. Today it is the coin that sends people searching every 2p they own, though any genuine example almost certainly began life in a set rather than a till. Searching change is not pointless, because sets do get broken up and spent. Just keep your expectations in proportion: most 1983 2p coins you meet will read TWO PENCE.
How to recognize it
A normal 1983 2p shows Ironside's Prince of Wales's feathers with TWO PENCE above and the numeral 2 below, with Arnold Machin's portrait of the Queen and ELIZABETH II D G REG F D 1983 on the obverse. The error coin is identical except for one word: NEW in place of TWO. Everything else, the bronze metal, the 25.9 mm diameter, the 7.12 g weight and the plain edge, matches. Check the date and the wording together. A NEW PENCE 2p dated 1981 or earlier is a normal coin; only the 1983 date makes it an error. A magnifier helps with worn coins, where the lettering can be soft.
The other side carries Arnold Machin's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used on UK coins from 1968 to 1984.
1983 2p by the numbers
No 1983 2p coins were struck for circulation, so none were paid out by banks. For comparison, nearby circulation dates were 1980 2p (408.5 million), 1981 2p (353.2 million), 1985 2p (107.1 million) and 1986 2p (169 million).
What to check on your 1983 2p
- Confirm the date. 1983 2p coins came only from collector sets, so a genuine one is often in very good condition.
- Try a magnet: bronze 2p coins do not stick to it. A coin that sticks is copper-plated steel from 1992 or later, so read the date again.
- Look at the surfaces under a light. Coins from sets have unbroken luster and color; change-worn coins are dull and scuffed.
- Never clean it. Rubbing or dipping strips the original color and leaves fine scratches.
A genuine 1983 NEW PENCE 2p is a significant rarity and collectors pay well above face value for it. A normal 1983 TWO PENCE coin is a sets-only date and carries only a small premium. Because the error is so famous, plenty of owners confuse it with ordinary NEW PENCE coins of other dates. If you think you have one, read the date twice and have it confirmed by a grading service or specialist before you do anything else with it.
Bronze TWO PENCE 2p (1982 to 1991)
When the word NEW disappeared from British coins in 1982, the 2p reverse was changed to read TWO PENCE above the Prince of Wales's feathers. The 2p then went through an odd spell. Pennies kept pouring out for circulation, but no 2p coins were struck for change in 1982, 1983 or 1984. The large runs of 1980 and 1981 appear to have left enough in circulation, so those three dates exist only in Royal Mint sets.
It was during this sets-only spell that one of the best known errors in decimal British coinage happened. Some 1983 sets contained a 2p struck with the old NEW PENCE reverse instead of TWO PENCE. Raphael Maklouf's portrait of the Queen in a diadem replaced Machin's in 1985, the year circulation 2p coins came back with 107,113,000 struck. Output peaked at 419,889,000 in 1988 before tailing off to 86,625,250 in 1991, the lowest figure of any bronze 2p made for circulation.
Physically nothing changed in these years: bronze, 25.9 mm, 7.12 g, plain edge and no reaction to a magnet. For collectors, the sets-only dates and the 1983 error are the highlights. Circulation dates from 1985 to 1991 are face value when worn, though uncirculated red coins can carry a small premium. Bronze 2p coins tone to a deep brown over time. That is normal, while bright pink patches usually mean a coin has been cleaned and lost some of its appeal.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 1983 |
| Circulation mintage | None (collector issue) |
| Composition | Bronze (97% copper, 2.5% zinc, 0.5% tin) |
| Weight | 7.12 g |
| Diameter | 25.9 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
| Portrait | Machin |
Frequently asked questions
Is a 1983 2p rare?
It depends on the wording. A 1983 2p reading TWO PENCE is the normal coin. It was made only for sets and is worth a small premium at most. One reading NEW PENCE is the famous mule error and a significant rarity.
How do you know if you have the 1983 NEW PENCE error?
Check two things: the date on the portrait side must read 1983 and the wording above the feathers must read NEW PENCE. If both are true, have a specialist or grading service confirm it before selling or cleaning it.
Mintage figures: Two pence (British decimal coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.