Rare: fewer than 500,000 minted. Sells often: 55 verified sales in the last 12 months.
2 Pounds - Elizabeth II 3rd portrait Claim of Right (1989)
"Claim of Right £2"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1989 |
| Denomination | 2 Pounds |
| Face value | £2 |
| Mintage | 345,891 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Nickel brass |
| Weight | 15.980g |
| Diameter | 28.4mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Raphael Maklouf |
| Rev. artist | John Lobban |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Third crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the George IV State Diadem, legend around.
ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F D TWO POUNDS
Crown of Scotland above WM monogram and mace, legend around, dates below.
TERCENTENARY OF THE CLAIM OF RIGHT 1689 1989
Claim of Right £2 market value
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AffiliateClaim of Right £2 price history
Daily limit reachedClaim of Right £2 value by grade
Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC | £9.15 🔒 eBay | £9.15 | – | £2.84 – £13.00 | 3 | 3 | 23-08-2026 | |
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| BU | £17.95 🔒 eBay | £26.09 | – | £12.94 – £37.99 | 7 | 7 | 09-10-2026 | |
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| VF | £12.44 🔒 eBay | £10.79 | ▲14.1% | £5.00 – £29.50 | 31 | 31 | 04-10-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £25.00 🔒 eBay | £24.50 | – | £5.45 – £47.95 | 12 | 12 | 13-10-2026 | |
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| PR-68 | £42.00 🔒 eBay | £42.00 (1) | – | £42.00 – £42.00 | 1 | 1 | 07-06-2026 | |
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| PR-69 | £57.00 🔒 eBay | £57.00 (1) | – | £57.00 – £57.00 | 1 | 1 | 24-03-2026 | |
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About the 1989 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Claim of Right
The 1989 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Claim of Right is a collector 2 pounds coin, struck in nickel brass. It weighs 15.98g and measures 28.4mm across. Reverse design: Crown of Scotland above WM monogram and mace, legend around, dates below.
345,891 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 1989 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Claim of Right worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1989 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Claim of Right run from £9.15 to £57.00 across 6 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many 1989 Claim of Right £2 coins were made?
No official figure exists for this design alone. The Royal Mint published 4,777,891 for the two 1989 designs combined. Change Checker lists 381,400 for the Claim of Right, and Check Your Change says the figure is thought to be as low as 346,000.
Is the Claim of Right £2 rare?
It is the scarcest single-metal £2 on every published estimate, with between roughly 346,000 and 381,400 struck against millions for most of the others. Tony Clayton's reference calls it arguably the scarcest of all the £2 coins, though the Royal Mint never published a separate figure.
How do I tell a Claim of Right £2 from a Bill of Rights £2?
Read the legend around the reverse. The Scottish coin says TERCENTENARY OF THE CLAIM OF RIGHT and has the Crown of Scotland above the W and M cypher. The English coin says TERCENTENARY OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS and has the Royal Crown.
Was the Claim of Right £2 only issued in Scotland?
The Royal Mint's design listing marks the Claim of Right inscription as Scotland only, and Check Your Change says the coin was apparently only circulated in Scotland. The proclamation itself made both 1989 coins legal tender throughout the United Kingdom.
Who designed the Claim of Right £2?
John Lobban designed the reverse, as he did for the Bill of Rights coin of the same year. The obverse carries the portrait of Elizabeth II by Raphael Maklouf, which was used on UK circulating coins from 1985 to 1997.
How do I identify the 1989 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Claim of Right?
Check the weight 15.98g and diameter 28.4mm and the metal (nickel brass) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The Claim of Right £2 is the Scottish half of a pair issued in 1989. Three hundred years earlier the Scottish Parliament had passed the Claim of Right, the Act that took the Scottish crown from James VII and offered it to William and Mary. The English Parliament's Bill of Rights of the same year was marked by a matching coin.
A single proclamation of 21 December 1988 authorised both designs in silver and nickel brass, and made the nickel-brass coins current and legal tender across the United Kingdom. The Royal Mint's design listing marks the Claim of Right version as Scotland only. The Mint published one combined figure for the two coins, 4,777,891 struck to circulating standard, without a split. Collector references put the Claim of Right share at a small fraction of that: Change Checker lists 381,400 and Check Your Change says it is thought to be as low as 346,000.
John Lobban designed both 1989 reverses, and they differ in two details only. The proclamation describes a cypher of the letters W and M interlaced, surmounting a Parliamentary mace placed horizontally, with the dates 1689 and 1989 below. On this coin the crown above the cypher is the Crown of Scotland, and the surrounding inscription reads TERCENTENARY OF THE CLAIM OF RIGHT.
The obverse has the portrait of Elizabeth II by Raphael Maklouf, with the legend ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F D and TWO POUNDS below. The edge is milled and has no inscription. The coin is nickel brass, 28.4mm across, with a standard weight of 15.976g.
Varieties and errors
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin.
The practical risk is misidentification. A Bill of Rights £2 looks almost the same at a glance and was made in far larger numbers, so read the legend and check the crown before accepting a coin as the Scottish type.
Collecting notes
On any of the published estimates this is the lowest-mintage single-metal £2, and Tony Clayton's Coins of England and Great Britain calls it very much scarcer than the English coin and arguably the scarcest of all the £2 coins. Treat exact figures with care, because the Royal Mint never published one for this design.
The Royal Mint says the old single-metal £2 coins remain legal tender but that banks and retailers do not have to accept them. The proclamation also provided for silver versions of this design in two weights, 15.976g and a double-weight 31.952g piedfort, both in 925 silver, and these are listed separately.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Two Pound Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Commemorative £2 coins struck to circulating standard, 1986-96 (archived copy of 15 March 2012), The Royal Mint, via the Internet Archive (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and designs for silver and nickel-brass two-pound coins commemorating the tercentenary of the Bill of Rights and of the Scottish Claim of Right (London Gazette, issue 51607, pages 225 to 226, 6 January 1989), The Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- How can I dispose of commemorative £2 coins?, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- UK coin mintage figures (data file), The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Single Metal Two Pound Coins 1986-1996, Check Your Change (read 9 Oct 2026)
- £2 Pre-1997: Claim of Right, Change Checker (read 9 Oct 2026)
- I have a £2 coin with a portrait of the Queen wearing a necklace. Is this rare or valuable?, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Decimal Two Pounds, Coins of England and Great Britain (Tony Clayton) (read 9 Oct 2026)
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