It’s official, the new £2 coin has turned 20 years old.

First launched in June 1998, the bi-metallic coin was the first of its kind since tin farthings, with a copper plug in the centre, were issued as tender back in 1692.

The £2 has stirred a tremendous amount of coin fever among collectors and, with new designs due to be released this year, the momentum isn’t showing signs of slowing.

For a two pound coin! While the coin has not yet been taken to the coin auction – which we can only presume is an incredibly fun place that looks like Scrooge McDuck’s vault – experts say the coin’s odd look is similar to one found in another super-rare coin, a silver 2p, that was found earlier this year and was estimated to be worth £. Cardiff City (2011, Wales). Ranked second rarest, like the Edinburgh coin, Cardiff £1 coins in perfect condition can sell for up to £30, but most sell for around £5. Just 485,500 such coins entered circulation, topping the list of the most sought-after £2 coins. These coins can fetch upwards of £40 at auction, with one recently selling for £44 on eBay.

Find out the rarest and most valuable £2 coins in circulation and some exciting new designs to look out for over the year.

What makes a coin rare and valuable?

Coins become rare when there are fewer in circulation. Often the more rare a coin is, the more valuable it becomes to collectors.

Resource’s such as Change Checker’s Scarcity Index can help give an indication of a coin’s value could be. Change Checker is an online platform that allows you to trade rare coins and notes with other collectors.

The Scarcity Index takes into account the following:

1. How easy it is to find a coin, which is based on how many of each coin design are listed as “collected” by collectors registered on the platform.
2. How ‘in demand’ a coin is, which is based on how many times collectors request to swap for a certain design.

Coins are given a score out of 100 and the higher the score the rarer and more potentially valuable a coin is.

• Find out more:the rarest and most valuable £2 coins revealed

Rarest and most valuable £2 coins 2018

£2 coins designed to commemorate the 2002 Commonwealth Games are the rarest in the UK.

Around 2.5m identical coins were issued for the games but there was one unique difference.

The total release was, in fact, divided into four sets and each set featured a different flag to celebrate the participating Home Nations – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Wales Commonwealth Games £2 coin is the rarest of the set and holds a scarcity score of 100. Only 588,500 coins were minted and could fetch around £90 on eBay.

With a scarcity score of 99, the Northern Ireland Commonwealth games £2 coin is the second rarest. Around 485,000 of this design were minted and it could fetch £56 on eBay.

The third rarest coin, with a scarcity score of 86, is the England Commonwealth Games £2 coin. Only 650,500 of this design were minted and it could earn you around £61.

The Scotland Commonwealth Games £2 coin currently has a scarcity score of 82. 771,750 of this design were minted, the highest of the commemorative sets, and it could earn you around £50 on eBay.

It’s important to note that a coin’s value also lies in the eyes of the collector, so this can also affect how much someone is willing to pay for a particular design.

• Find out more: the rarest coins and notes in circulation right now

New £2 coins 2018

This year has been a big one for collectible change, and has already seen the release of 26 rare A-Z of Britain 10p coins and four new Peter Rabbit 50p coins.

A series of new commemorative £2 coin designs will be released over the next 18 months, so keep your eyes peeled!

RAF £2 coin

Five new £2 coins have been designed to commemorate the Centenary of the Royal Air Force which formed on April 1 1918.

The first commemorative coin in the set was designed by Rhys Morgan, and features the RAF badge in the steel centre, to celebrate the Airforce as a whole.

The other four coins in were designed by brothers Richard and Neil Talbot and each feature a different iconic aircraft including the Spitfire, Vulcan, Sea King and Lightning.

WWI Armistice £2 coin

Designed by Stephen Raw this £2 coin commemorates the centenary of the WWI Armistice.

The coin features the quote ‘The truth untold, the pity of war’ from Wilfred Owen’s poem, Strange Meeting.

Owen was a soldier and poet, who’s works were published after he died in action at the age of 25.

Frankenstein £2 coin

A new £2 coin will be released this year to celebrate 200 years since the publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Designed by Thomas Doherty, the coin will have the word Frankenstein etched in electric gothic font on the steel coloured centre and feature the quote ‘The Modern Prometheus’ in the yellow outer ring.

Captain Cook £2 coin

It’s been 250 years since Captain Cook left British shores in search of new horizons.

To mark the occasion, a new £2 coin design featuring his ship the ‘HM Bark Endeavour’ will be released soon.

What to do if you find a valuable coin

If you’re lucky enough to stumble upon a rare coin the first thing to do is consult the Royal Mint to make sure it’s real.

They’ll usually send you a letter to confirm it’s authenticity.

Rare Two Pound Coins Soldier

Once you have this, you can sell it at auction, online or via a coin dealer.

Our video below explains the different types of coin you can collect and, for more information about how to spot an illegitimate coin, check out our recent investigation revealed: the dark side of the coin investment craze.

Rare Two Pound Coins Value

The Royal Mint is famous for releasing incredibly beautiful commemorative coins regularly. As commemorative coins are circulated every year, some of the rare ones become highly sought after and extremely valuable. Some of the most rare coins can fetch a significant value at auctions. The rarest coin in circulation is the Kew Gardens 50p coin. With only 210,000 in circulation, it is highly sought after and can sell for as much as £160 on eBay. As you can see that some 50p coins which are usually just loose change can be worth hundreds of pounds. A few £2 coins are also similar in rarity and value. In this post, we will take a look at some of them.

2002 N. Ireland Commonwealth Games £2

Kicking off the most rare 2 pound coins list with the 2002 N. Ireland Commonwealth Games £2.

To celebrate Northern Ireland’s Commonwealth Games participation in 2002, the Royal Mint circulated a total of 485,500 of these £2 coins, making them the rarest variant of the £2 coin around.

There are three other versions of this coin which feature Wales, England and Scotland. Those versions are also highly sought after and can fetch as much as £30 in the secondary market.

2002 Wales Commonwealth Games £2

Next on our list of the most rare 2 pound coin list, is the 2002 Wales Commonwealth Games £2.

These two pound coins were circulated in a slightly higher number than the Northern Ireland version (total of 588,500). Hence, if you happen to have this coin, you are one of the fortunate ones.

It depicts the same design as the above NI version, but switches in the Welsh flag, and collectors are likely to pay anything up to about £20 to get their hands on one.

2015 Navy £2

Next on our list of the most rare 2 pound coin list, is the 2015 Navy £2. With only 650,000 in circulation, it’s quite rare.The standard collector’s price for this coin released to commemorate the Royal Navy’s efforts in World War One – is about £10, however, some are selling for as much as £100 on eBay.

It features a battleship design by military artist David Rowlands and the fifth portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to appear on UK coinage.

Inverted Effigy £2

Next on our list of the most rare 2 pound coin list, is the Inverted Effigy £2. These £2 coins were minted with an inverted effigy of the queen when a piece of the Royal Mint’s machinery slipped during the striking process.

Since this wasn’t a commemorative coin and had the inverted effigy as a result of machinery error, there is no confirmed amount of these coins in circulation. Some numismatists have estimated that there are just 3,000 of them in circulation, making them extremely rare.

If the Queen’s head on your coin is rotated by around 150 degrees in relation to the back side (which features an image of Britannia), you could be in possession of a coin with a collector’s value of around £75.

2015 Britannia £2

Next on our list of the most rare 2 pound coin list, is the 2015 Britannia £2. Even though it was the introduction of a new standard design of coin, it didn’t come with high mintage figures. In the year that the Britannia £2 design was brought in (replacing the old ‘Technology’ design which had featured on the coin since 1997), only 650,000 of them were produced, making it one of the rarest two pound coins in circulation.

2002 England Commonwealth Games £2

Rounding off our list of the most rare 2 pound coin list, is the 2002 England Commonwealth Games £2. With just 650,500 produced in circulation, it is one of the rarest two pound coins in circulation. Again, it follows the usual Commonwealth Games £2 coin design, but features the cross of St. George. This coin can easily fetch around £10 in the secondary market.

So these were some of the rarest and most valuable 2 pound coins in circulation today. So the next time you find one of them in your change, you might want to hold on to them instead of just using them to buy something else. You can keep them for your collection or sell them in the secondary market for a price much higher than the face value of these coins.