Uncommon: fewer than 10,000,000 minted. Sells often: 55 verified sales in the last 12 months.
2 Pounds - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Gunpowder Plot (2005)
"Gunpowder Plot £2"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2005 |
| Denomination | 2 Pounds |
| Face value | £2 |
| Mintage | 5,140,500 |
| 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 with inscription: REMEMBER REMEMBER THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | Peter Forster |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Fourth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, legend around.
A circular arrangement of the symbols of state the mace, crosier and sword, dates and denomination around.
Gunpowder Plot £2 market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateGunpowder Plot £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 | £16.69 🔒 eBay | £9.17 | – | £4.00 – £16.69 | 3 | 3 | 06-10-2026 | |
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| BU | £34.95 🔒 eBay | £19.56 | – | £6.52 – £49.99 | 14 | 14 | 12-10-2026 | |
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| VF | £3.95 🔒 eBay | £2.98 | ▼16.6% | £1.16 – £17.22 | 36 | 36 | 15-10-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £8.66 🔒 eBay | £10.31 (2) | – | £8.66 – £11.95 | 2 | 2 | 30-04-2026 | |
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About the 2005 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Gunpowder Plot
The 2005 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Gunpowder Plot 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 circular arrangement of the symbols of state the mace, crosier and sword, dates and denomination around.
5,140,500 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2005 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Gunpowder Plot worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2005 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Gunpowder Plot run from £2.98 to £19.56 across 4 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
Is the Pemember Gunpowder Plot £2 a genuine error?
No. Change Checker reports the Royal Mint's explanation that the down-stroke of the letter R coincides with the milling around the edge, so the letter can look like a P. It is described as not a striking error, and any premium asked for it as unjustified.
How many Gunpowder Plot £2 coins were made?
The Royal Mint's mintage figures give 5,140,500 struck for circulation, all dated 2005. In the same year the Mint struck 10,191,000 of the Second World War £2 and 3,837,250 of the standard Technology £2 coin, so the Gunpowder Plot coin sits between the two.
Who designed the Gunpowder Plot £2?
The reverse is by Peter Forster. It arranges the mace, crosier and sword in a circle, with stars around them. The portrait of the Queen on the obverse is the fourth portrait, by Ian Rank-Broadley.
What should the edge of the Gunpowder Plot £2 say?
The Royal Mint lists the edge inscription as REMEMBER REMEMBER THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER, from the rhyme about the plot. Coins that appear to read PEMEMBER carry the same inscription, with the down-stroke of the letter R lost in the edge milling.
How do I identify the 2005 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Gunpowder Plot?
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 Gunpowder Plot £2 was issued in 2005 to mark 400 years since the plot of 5 November 1605, the attempt to assassinate King James I and destroy Parliament. The Royal Mint's account notes that the plot was foiled after an anonymous letter was sent to Lord Monteagle.
The Royal Mint's figures give 5,140,500 struck for circulation, all dated 2005. It was one of two commemorative £2 coins that year. The other, marking the end of the Second World War, had 10,191,000, while only 3,837,250 of the standard Technology £2 were struck with the 2005 date.
The reverse is by Peter Forster. It shows the mace, the crosier and the sword, symbols of state that stand for the survival of the institutions the plotters set out to destroy. They are arranged in a circular pattern that the Royal Mint likens to a Catherine wheel, with stars around them to suggest fireworks. The dates 1605 and 2005 are set in lettering inspired by early 17th-century typography.
The edge inscription is REMEMBER REMEMBER THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER, from the rhyme about the plot. The obverse carries the fourth portrait of Elizabeth II, by Ian Rank-Broadley. The coin is bimetallic, with a nickel-brass outer ring and a cupro-nickel centre.
Varieties and errors
This coin is very often listed as an error with the edge reading PEMEMBER PEMEMBER. It is not a recognised mint error. Change Checker reports the Royal Mint's explanation: the down-stroke of the R coincides with the milling around the edge, so the letter can read as a P. Change Checker describes it as not a striking error and calls any premium asked for it completely unjustified.
No statement on the subject was found on the Royal Mint's own website, so the explanation is given here as reported. No other varieties of the circulating coin are documented.
Collecting notes
Treat a "Pemember" coin as a normal Gunpowder Plot £2 coin. What matters is the usual: an even strike, a centred core, clean surfaces on both sides and an edge inscription that is complete, whichever way the letters appear to read.
The coin is a current bimetallic £2 and has not been withdrawn. The site also lists a silver proof, a silver piedfort and a gold proof of the design, which were made for collectors and not for circulation.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- UK coin mintage figures (mintages.json data file behind the Royal Mint mintage pages), The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Two Pound Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2005 Elizabeth II The 400th Anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot £2 Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Always 'Pemember' the facts about rare £2 coins, Change Checker (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Gunpowder Plot £2, Change Checker (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Two pound coin, Wikipedia (read 9 Oct 2026)
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