Uncommon: fewer than 10,000,000 minted. Sells often: 62 verified sales in the last 12 months.
2 Pounds - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Charles Dickens (2012)
"Charles Dickens £2"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2012 |
| Denomination | 2 Pounds |
| Face value | £2 |
| Mintage | 8,190,000 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Composition | Bimetallic: copper-nickel center in nickel brass ring |
| Weight | 12.000g |
| Diameter | 28.4mm |
| Thickness | 2.50mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled: SOMETHING WILL TURN UP |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | Matthew Dent |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Fourth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, legend around.
ELIZABETH · II · D · G · REG · FID · DEF · TWO POUNDS · 2012
A profile outline of Charles Dickens created from the titles of his works.
Charles Dickens £2 market value
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AffiliateCharles Dickens £2 price history
Daily limit reachedCharles Dickens £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 | £3.21 🔒 eBay | £3.21 (1) | – | £3.21 – £3.21 | 1 | 1 | 26-09-2026 | |
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| BU | £24.61 🔒 eBay | £19.36 | – | £2.52 – £42.29 | 21 | 21 | 09-10-2026 | |
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| VF | £4.35 🔒 eBay | £3.75 | – | £1.28 – £37.10 | 36 | 37 | 06-10-2026 | |
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| aUNC | £3.79 🔒 eBay | £3.79 (1) | – | £3.79 – £3.79 | 1 | 1 | 07-03-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £3.00 🔒 eBay | £17.03 | – | £3.00 – £21.50 | 3 | 3 | 30-08-2026 | |
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About the 2012 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Charles Dickens
The 2012 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Charles Dickens is a circulating 2 pounds coin, struck in bimetallic: copper-nickel center in nickel brass ring. It weighs 12g and measures 28.4mm across. Reverse design: A profile outline of Charles Dickens created from the titles of his works.
8,190,000 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2012 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Charles Dickens worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2012 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Charles Dickens run from £3.21 to £19.36 across 5 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
Is the Charles Dickens £2 coin rare?
No. The Royal Mint's figures show 8,190,000 were struck for circulation, one of the largest totals for any commemorative £2 coin. For comparison, the 2011 King James Bible £2 had a mintage of 975,000. Change Checker places the Dickens coin in the Common band of its scarcity index.
Is there a Charles Dickens £2 error coin?
No error on this coin has been documented by the Royal Mint in any source found. The three features usually listed as errors (fading dots, upside-down edge lettering and a misspelt edge inscription) are explained by die wear and by the normal way bimetallic £2 coins are made.
Why is the edge lettering upside down on my Dickens £2?
It is normal. On bimetallic £2 coins the edge inscription is applied before the two faces are struck, so the lettering ends up either way round relative to the Queen's portrait. Change Checker describes this as very common across £2 coins and not an error.
Who designed the Charles Dickens £2?
Matthew Dent designed the reverse, a silhouette of Dickens built from the titles of his works. According to press coverage at the launch it is based on a bust at the Charles Dickens Museum in London. The obverse portrait of the Queen is by Ian Rank-Broadley.
What does the edge of the Charles Dickens £2 say?
The edge reads SOMETHING WILL TURN UP in incuse letters on a milled edge. The line is associated with Wilkins Micawber, the ever-hopeful character in Dickens's novel David Copperfield. The royal proclamation that set the design confirms the wording.
How do I identify the 2012 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Charles Dickens?
Check the weight 12g and diameter 28.4mm and the metal (bimetallic: copper-nickel center in nickel brass ring) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The Charles Dickens £2 marks 200 years since the novelist's birth on 7 February 1812. The design was set by a royal proclamation dated 12 October 2011, and the Royal Mint unveiled it in December 2011, when a Brilliant Uncirculated version went on sale ahead of the circulating coins dated 2012.
The Royal Mint's mintage figures record 8,190,000 struck for circulation. That is a large number for a commemorative £2: only three commemorative designs in the Mint's published figures have higher totals. It is more than eight times the 975,000 of the 2011 King James Bible £2 coin, so this is a common coin.
The reverse is by Matthew Dent. It shows Dickens's profile as a silhouette built entirely from the titles of his works, with the better-known titles given greater prominence. Press coverage at the launch said the profile is based on a bust displayed at the Charles Dickens Museum in London. The inscription 1812 CHARLES DICKENS 1870 runs to the left of the portrait.
The edge is milled and carries the incuse inscription SOMETHING WILL TURN UP, a line associated with the hopeful Wilkins Micawber in David Copperfield.
The obverse shows the fourth coinage portrait of Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, with the denomination TWO POUNDS and the date 2012 placed on this side because the reverse carries neither.
Varieties and errors
No mint error on this coin has been documented by the Royal Mint in any source found, and no recognised variety exists. Three features are regularly described as errors in online listings, and each has an ordinary explanation.
Fading dots. The ring of dots around the centre of the coin sometimes fades or disappears part of the way round. Change Checker attributes this to dies wearing down during mass production.
Upside-down edge lettering. The edge inscription on a bimetallic £2 is applied before the faces are struck, so it can read either way up relative to the portrait. Change Checker describes this as very common on bimetallic coins and a variation, not an error.
Misspelt edge. Some coins appear to read WII instead of WILL. Change Checker puts this down to a worn die, with the end of the second L worn down until it looks like an I.
Collecting notes
A circulated Dickens £2 is a coin to keep for the design, not for scarcity. It was struck for general circulation in large numbers, so it is far more likely to appear in change than the low-mintage £2 designs.
The design was also struck for collectors as a silver proof, a silver piedfort and a gold proof, each listed separately on this site. The proclamation gives the gold coin a plain edge with the same incuse lettering, where the other versions have a milled edge. For a much scarcer £2 from the year before, see the King James Bible £2.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Royal Mint mintage figures data file (mintages.json), The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and design for two-pound coins commemorating the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens (London Gazette, 13 October 2011, page 19587), The London Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2012 Elizabeth II The 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Charles Dickens £2 Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Two Pound Coin: designs and specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- How much is my Charles Dickens £2 worth?, Change Checker (read 9 Oct 2026)
- New Charles Dickens coin honors author (Associated Press report reprinted in The E-Sylum, volume 14, number 51), Numismatic Bibliomania Society (read 9 Oct 2026)
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