Is there an even rarer version of the Navy £2 in circulation?
Change Checkers have been speculating whether there are two different design variations of the 2015 Navy £2 coin that was released into circulation a couple of months ago.
This coin has already caused a stir in the collecting world as we revealed it was one of the rarest £2 coins with just 650,000 struck for circulation.
The 2015 Navy £2 coin was released into circulation a couple of months ago.
The original Navy £2 design (above) shows the coin without any markings on the top right of the mast, but we’ve seen a few £2’s out there that look like they have a flying flag.
A number of people have been enquiring about whether there were two different designs of the Navy £2 coin struck for circulation.
As you can see from the two coins pictured above, the coin on the right looks like it has a flying flag on the mast whereas the first coin is free from any markings.
So are there two different designs?
No – The Royal Mint strike up to 5 billion coins a year and from time to time cracks in the die can cause pools of metal to form on the coin.
It just so happens that this bit of metal has caused the markings on these coins to look like a flying flag on the ship fueling speculation that two different variations were struck.
Well done to the eagle-eyed change checkers out there who spotted differences between the coins. It’s the little details like these that make collecting so interesting so remember to always check your change carefully.
Have you checked your Navy £2?
Let us know via Facebook, Twitter or leave us a comment below.
I have one how much are they worth x
I have an original design without the debris mark. It does, however, have a scuff mark all the way round between the picture of the queen and the outer rim. Is this a fake?
How many shakespeare £2 coins went into circulation???
Wierd how it’s occured in the same place each time, I’m gonna check mine too
There are two versions 4th portrait for sets and 5th portrait for circulation
I have been collecting for about 8 weeks and my dad found the battleship with a plain mast then a week later found the same coin with the mark next to mast can’t wait to get both off him in post.
After a lengthy email conversation with the curator of the royal mint museum I have sent the flag coin in for them to evaluate and issue a report on,
I have now had a response from the assistant curator at the mint and has confirmed the ‘flag error’ is caused due to the die collapsing and not being replaced fast enough..
How many “debris” coins are in circulation? It may be worth more to a collector as a rarity if only a few have surfaced.
I have 4 of the navy coins, 3 normal and one with the debris marking
As you probably know, 650,000 coins have been released into general circulation. 650,000 is a low mintage for £2 coins. So even if 350,000 coins were found with this error it would still be highly collectable.
The mint has officially said that there is no other version as the flag is the result of debris on the die
Hi John, yes we made contact with the Royal Mint and they clarified why it had happened so we have stated this in our blog. Thanks, Yasmin
I have got three of these coins in a sealed bag of ten £2 coins. I was thinking of selling two of them…