Uncommon: fewer than 10,000,000 minted. Sells regularly: 21 verified sales in the last 12 months.
2 Pounds - Elizabeth II 3rd portrait UEFA Euro 1996 (1996)
"1996 Football £2"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1996 |
| Denomination | 2 Pounds |
| Face value | £2 |
| Mintage | 5,141,350 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Nickel brass |
| Weight | 15.980g |
| Diameter | 28.4mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled with inscription: TENTH EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Raphael Maklouf |
| Rev. artist | John Mills |
| 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
A gently concave surface representing a football, with the date 1996 in two lines in the centre.
1996
UEFA Euro 1996 £2 market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateUEFA Euro 1996 £2 price history
Daily limit reachedUEFA Euro 1996 £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 | £8.66 🔒 eBay | £8.56 (2) | – | £8.45 – £8.66 | 2 | 2 | 18-07-2026 | |
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| EF | £4.47 🔒 eBay | £5.45 | – | £4.47 – £5.45 | 3 | 3 | 04-09-2026 | |
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| VF | £4.50 🔒 eBay | £5.33 | ▲14.5% | £2.99 – £11.99 | 15 | 15 | 13-10-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £4.99 🔒 eBay | £4.99 (1) | – | £4.99 – £4.99 | 1 | 1 | 30-07-2026 | |
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About the 1996 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – UEFA Euro 1996
The 1996 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – UEFA Euro 1996 is a collector 2 pounds coin, struck in nickel brass. It weighs 15.98g and measures 28.4mm across. Reverse design: A gently concave surface representing a football, with the date 1996 in two lines in the centre.
5,141,350 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 1996 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – UEFA Euro 1996 worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1996 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – UEFA Euro 1996 run from £4.99 to £8.56 across 4 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many 1996 football £2 coins were made?
The Royal Mint's published figure is 5,141,350 nickel-brass coins struck to circulating standard. Check Your Change and Change Checker quote the same number. Among the single-metal £2 coins only the 1986 Commonwealth Games coin, at 8,212,184, has a higher confirmed figure for one design.
What do the sixteen rings on the 1996 £2 mean?
They stand for the sixteen teams that took part in the 1996 European Football Championship. The proclamation describes the design as a stylised football with the date 1996 at the centre, encircled by sixteen small rings; Change Checker and Tony Clayton explain what the rings represent.
Why does the 1996 football £2 look dished?
The shape is deliberate. Collector references describe the coin as slightly concave, so that the surface suggests the curve of a football, and note that the obverse was altered to match, with a dished surface and no rim or border beads. It is not damage.
Who designed the 1996 European Championship £2?
John Mills designed the reverse. He also designed the 1995 dove of peace £2. The obverse carries Raphael Maklouf's portrait of Elizabeth II, the Royal Mint's standard £2 obverse for 1990 to 1997, adapted to the coin's concave surface.
Is the 1996 football £2 legal tender?
Yes. The proclamation of November 1995 made the coin legal tender for any amount. The Royal Mint says this does not oblige banks or retailers to accept the old single-metal £2 coins, and that most will probably refuse them.
How do I identify the 1996 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – UEFA Euro 1996?
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
England hosted the tenth European Football Championship in 1996, and the Royal Mint issued a £2 coin for the occasion. It was authorised by a royal proclamation of 23 November 1995 in gold, silver and nickel brass. Sixteen teams took part, and Germany beat the Czech Republic in the final after England went out in the semi-finals.
This was the seventh and last of the single-metal £2 coins. Like the others it was legal tender but was issued as a commemorative and not for general circulation, and the bimetallic £2 followed a year later. The Royal Mint's figures give 5,141,350 struck to circulating standard. Among the single-metal coins only the 1986 Commonwealth Games £2, at 8,212,184, has a higher confirmed figure for a single design.
The reverse is by John Mills. The proclamation describes a stylised representation of a football, with the date 1996 centrally placed and encircled by sixteen small rings. The rings stand for the sixteen competing teams. There is no other lettering on this side.
Collector references note that the coin is slightly concave, so the whole reverse reads as the curved surface of a ball. The obverse, with Raphael Maklouf's portrait of Elizabeth II and the legend ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F D over TWO POUNDS, was reworked to match, with a dished field and no rim or border beads. The edge is milled with the incuse inscription TENTH EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP.
Varieties and errors
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin.
Its odd shape prompts questions. The dished faces and the missing obverse rim are how every coin was made, not damage or a striking fault. Edge lettering that reads upside down against the Queen's head is also normal: the Royal Mint says £2 edge inscriptions are applied to the blank before striking and can face either way, with no right or wrong way.
Collecting notes
More than five million were made, so this is one of the easier single-metal £2 coins to find. Check Your Change remarks on its chunky feel, which comes from the rimless, concave faces. The obverse has no raised rim, so look closely at the Queen's portrait and the centre of the ball for marks.
The Royal Mint says the old single-metal £2 coins are legal tender but that most banks and retailers will probably refuse them. The design was also struck as a gold proof, a silver proof and a double-weight silver piedfort, listed separately. The proclamation gives the gold coin a plain edge with no inscription.
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 design for two-pound coins commemorating the hosting of the European Football Championship in England in 1996 (London Gazette, issue 54228, pages 16191 to 16192, 29 November 1995), 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: Football, Change Checker (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Decimal Two Pounds, Coins of England and Great Britain (Tony Clayton) (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Why does the edge inscription on the £2 and £1 coins sometimes appear "upside down"?, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
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