Quick answer
The 2012 Charles Dickens £2 coin is not rare. The Royal Mint struck 8,190,000 for circulation, one of the highest figures for any commemorative £2. Circulated examples sell for about £2.50, close to face value, and Brilliant Uncirculated coins for roughly £8 to £28, based on sold prices tracked by MyCoinage, late 2026.
Key facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Year | 2012 |
| Denomination | £2 (bimetallic) |
| Occasion | 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens |
| Reverse design | Profile of Dickens formed from the titles of his works, by Matthew Dent |
| Obverse | Fourth portrait of Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Edge inscription | SOMETHING WILL TURN UP |
| Circulation mintage | 8,190,000 |
| Metal | Nickel-brass outer ring, cupro-nickel centre |
| Weight and size | 12.0g, 28.4mm diameter, 2.5mm thick |
| In circulation | Yes, legal tender and still found in change |
| Typical sold price (circulated) | About £2.50 |
How much is a Charles Dickens £2 coin worth?
Very little over face value if it came out of your change. On the Charles Dickens £2 coin page, the median sold price for circulated examples over the last 90 days is £2.50.
Coins that never circulated do better. Brilliant Uncirculated examples, usually from Royal Mint packs and sets, have a 90-day median of £10.00.
| Condition | Recorded sales | Sold price range | 90-day median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circulated (VF) | 28 | £1.28 to £15.08 | £2.50 |
| Brilliant Uncirculated | 12 | £7.81 to £28.00 | £10.00 |
These figures are based on sold prices tracked by MyCoinage, late 2026. The top of each range is a single sale, not what you should expect. A scratched coin from a till is a £2 coin.
Asking prices are a different matter. Listings for this coin at hundreds or thousands of pounds appear regularly, but a listing is not a sale. The guide to reading eBay sold listings explains how to tell the two apart.
Is the Charles Dickens £2 coin rare?
No. With 8,190,000 struck for circulation, it is one of the most common commemorative £2 coins. Among the commemorative designs in the Royal Mint's circulating £2 mintage table, only three have a higher figure.
For comparison, the scarcest circulating £2, the 2002 Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland coin, has a mintage of 485,500. That is about one seventeenth of the Dickens figure. The full ranking is in the guide to rare £2 coins, and every year's figure is on the £2 mintage table.
The design: Charles Dickens £2 coin 2012
The reverse was designed by Matthew Dent. It shows a profile of Dickens built entirely from the titles of his books. The Royal Mint's description names Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities among them.
The inscription beside the portrait reads 1812 CHARLES DICKENS 1870, the years of his birth and death. That is why the coin is often searched for as the "1812 Charles Dickens 1870" £2.
The edge reads SOMETHING WILL TURN UP. The phrase belongs to Mr Micawber, the permanently hopeful debtor in David Copperfield.
Charles Dickens £2 coin errors: what is real?
Three "errors" are regularly claimed for this coin. None of them is a documented mint error, and the Royal Mint has not confirmed any error variety of the Dickens £2.
The upside-down "Something will turn up" edge
This is the most common claim, and the Royal Mint has addressed it directly. Its FAQ on £2 and £1 edge inscriptions explains that the lettering is rolled onto the blank before the coin is struck. Which way up the blank lands in the press decides whether the edge reads upright with the Queen's head facing up or with the reverse facing up.
Circulation coins are struck at more than 700 a minute, and the Mint's own wording is that "there is no right or wrong way". Around half of all Dickens £2 coins can be expected to have the edge inscription "upside down" relative to the portrait. It is normal, and it is covered in more detail in the guide to £2 edge inscription errors.
The missing dots around the Queen's head
Some coins appear to lose the ring of dots on the obverse part of the way round. This shows up on many pre-2015 £2 designs, not only the Dickens coin. Change Checker, which looked at the claim in 2018, put it down to dies wearing during long production runs.
It is ordinary variation from mass production. Sold prices do not show a premium for it.
The "WII" spelling on the edge
A few coins seem to read SOMETHING WII TURN UP. Change Checker's explanation is wear again: the foot of each L is shallow and can fade until the letter looks like an I. The same effect produces the well known "Pemember" reading on the 2005 Gunpowder Plot £2.
What a genuine £2 error looks like
Documented £2 errors involve something physically wrong with the coin: the wrong edge inscription for the design, a missing or misplaced centre, or mismatched dies. Those are covered in the UK coin errors list. A worn letter or an inverted edge is not in that category.
How to check your coin
Start with condition, because that is what moves the price of this coin. A Dickens £2 with circulation marks is worth around face value. One with full lustre and no contact marks is the only kind that sells for a meaningful premium.
Then check any claimed error against the list above. If the "error" is an upside-down edge, missing dots or a soft letter, it is a standard coin.
To see what examples are selling for now, use the coin value checker or go straight to the coin page. The wider £2 coin values guide shows which designs are worth pulling out of your change instead.
If you have the coin, you can add it to your collection on MyCoinage from the Charles Dickens £2 page and track its value over time. It is free to start.
FAQ
Is the Charles Dickens £2 coin worth anything?
A circulated Charles Dickens £2 coin is worth about £2.50, barely more than face value, based on sold prices tracked by MyCoinage in late 2026. Brilliant Uncirculated examples from packs and sets sell for roughly £8 to £28. It remains legal tender, so it is always worth at least £2.
Is there a Charles Dickens £2 error?
No documented mint error exists for the 2012 Charles Dickens £2. The commonly listed "errors" (upside-down edge lettering, missing dots around the portrait and a "WII" spelling) are normal production variation or wear. The Royal Mint says there is no right or wrong way up for a £2 edge inscription.
How many Charles Dickens £2 coins were made?
The Royal Mint struck 8,190,000 Charles Dickens £2 coins for circulation, all dated 2012. That makes it one of the highest mintage commemorative £2 coins. Only three commemorative designs in the Royal Mint's circulating £2 mintage table have a higher figure.
What does "Something will turn up" mean on the £2 coin?
"Something will turn up" is the edge inscription on the 2012 Charles Dickens £2 coin. It is the catchphrase of Mr Micawber in David Copperfield. Every Dickens £2 carries it, so the inscription itself is not an error and does not add value.
Is an upside-down edge inscription on a Dickens £2 valuable?
No. The edge lettering is applied to the blank before the coin is struck, so about half of all coins end up with it inverted relative to the Queen's head. The Royal Mint treats both orientations as correct, and sold prices show no premium for either.
Who designed the Charles Dickens £2 coin?
Matthew Dent designed the reverse of the 2012 Charles Dickens £2 coin. It shows a profile of Dickens made up of the titles of his works. The obverse carries the fourth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley.