2 Pence - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Royal Shield (2008–2015)

One row for each year the 2 Pence - Elizabeth II 4th portrait – Royal Shield was struck. Prices are medians of verified sold listings matched to that year from the listing: circulated is worn condition up to Extremely Fine, uncirculated is About Uncirculated or better. A count in brackets means fewer than three sales behind the figure; a grey figure marked "type" is the median across every year, shown where that year has no sale of its own yet; years with no sales yet fill in as sales are recorded. Most types have been searched year by year only since October 2026, so later years are still filling in. Use the grade table below for a price by condition across all years.

About the 2008 2 Pence - Elizabeth II – Royal Shield

The 2008 2 Pence - Elizabeth II – Royal Shield is a circulating 2 pence coin issued from 2008 to 2015 in the Royal Shield series, struck in copper plated steel. It weighs 7.12g and measures 25.9mm across. Reverse design: Top right section of the Royal Shield of Arms, denomination above.

Mintage figures are recorded for 8 years between 2008 and 2015, 1,077,979,700 coins in all. 2013 is the scarcest date, with 40,600,000 struck.

Common questions

History and design

The Royal Shield 2p arrived with the 2008 redesign of the coinage, when the Royal Mint replaced the reverses of all seven coins from the 1p to the £1. The designs were unveiled on 2 April 2008 and were expected to enter circulation gradually from that summer.

For the 2p the change was almost complete in the first year. The Royal Mint's figures give 241,679,000 coins of the new design dated 2008, against only 10,600,000 with Christopher Ironside's old reverse.

Output after that was uneven. Across the eight dates from 2008 to 2015 the total is 1,077,979,520, with a high of 247,600,020 in 2014 and a low of 40,600,000 in 2013. The 2015 figure of 85,900,000 covers only coins with this portrait: another 139,200,000 dated 2015 carry the fifth portrait.

Matthew Dent's designs were chosen from more than 4,000 competition entries. Each coin from 1p to 50p shows a detail of the Shield of the Royal Arms, and together they form the whole shield. The proclamation of February 2008 describes the 2p as a section of the Royal Arms showing elements of the second quartering, with the words TWO PENCE. That quarter is the Scottish one, so the coin shows the lion rampant.

The obverse has Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait with the inscription ELIZABETH II D G REG F D and the date. Check Your Change notes that the rim beads of the earlier 2p were removed. The edge is plain and the coin is mild steel coated with copper.

Collecting notes

No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin.

In the Royal Mint's figures, 2013 and 2012 are the two lowest dates of this type, and only two circulating 2p figures of any period are lower than the 2013 one: the 2008 coin with the old reverse and the fifth portrait coin of 2017. All eight dates remain in circulation, and the Royal Mint states that the 2p is legal tender for amounts up to 20 pence.

Check the portrait on a 2015 coin. Rank-Broadley's has the initials IRB under the bust, while the later one by Jody Clark belongs to the fifth portrait Royal Shield 2p. Tony Clayton lists proofs of this design in silver, gold and platinum, all sold to collectors.