Uncommon: fewer than 10,000,000 minted. Sells often: 25 verified sales in the last 12 months.
2 Pounds - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Isambard K. Brunel (2006)
"Brunel Portrait £2"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2006 |
| Denomination | 2 Pounds |
| Face value | £2 |
| Mintage | 7,928,250 |
| 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: 1806-1859 ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL ENGINEER |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | Rod Kelly |
| 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 · DEI · GRA · REG · FID · DEF ·
Portrait of Brunel with bridge and wheel, legend above, date below.
Isambard K. Brunel £2 market value
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AffiliateIsambard K. Brunel £2 price history
Daily limit reachedIsambard K. Brunel £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 | £3.30 🔒 eBay | £3.30 (1) | – | £3.30 – £3.30 | 1 | 1 | 17-04-2026 | |
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| BU | £14.99 🔒 eBay | £12.00 | – | £7.50 – £14.99 | 3 | 3 | 22-09-2026 | |
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| VF | £3.84 🔒 eBay | £3.75 | – | £1.13 – £6.01 | 19 | 19 | 15-10-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £25.52 🔒 eBay | £25.52 (1) | – | £25.52 – £25.52 | 1 | 1 | 04-06-2026 | |
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| PR-70 | £115.23 🔒 eBay | £115.23 (1) | – | £115.23 – £115.23 | 1 | 1 | 28-02-2026 | |
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About the 2006 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Isambard K. Brunel
The 2006 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Isambard K. Brunel 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: Portrait of Brunel with bridge and wheel, legend above, date below.
7,928,250 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2006 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Isambard K. Brunel worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2006 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Isambard K. Brunel run from £3.30 to £115 across 5 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many Brunel portrait £2 coins were made?
The Royal Mint's figures record 7,928,250 struck for circulation, all dated 2006. That is slightly more than the 7,452,250 of the other Brunel £2 issued the same year, which shows the roof of Paddington Station.
Is the 2006 Brunel portrait £2 rare?
No. At 7,928,250 it has one of the largest circulating totals of any commemorative £2. Of the 35 commemorative £2 issues with a figure in the Royal Mint's mintage data, only four are higher.
Who designed the Brunel portrait £2?
Rod Kelly designed the reverse, a portrait of Isambard Kingdom Brunel with two of his engineering achievements inside a ring of chain. The Royal Mint names one of them as the Royal Albert Bridge. The Queen's portrait on the obverse is by Ian Rank-Broadley.
What does the edge of the Brunel portrait £2 say?
The milled edge reads 1806-1859 ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL ENGINEER in incuse letters, giving his dates, name and profession. The other 2006 Brunel £2, with the Paddington Station roof, has a different edge: SO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE.
Is upside-down edge lettering on a Brunel £2 an error?
No. The Royal Mint says the edge inscription is rolled onto the blank before the two faces are struck, so its top can point towards either side of the coin. In the Mint's words there is no right or wrong way.
How do I identify the 2006 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Isambard K. Brunel?
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
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born on 9 April 1806, and the Royal Mint marked the bicentenary with two £2 coins dated 2006. This is the portrait coin, the one Check Your Change describes as being for the man. Its partner shows the roof of Paddington Station and stands for his achievements.
Both designs were authorised by the same royal proclamation, which made the cupro-nickel and nickel-brass coins current and legal tender throughout the United Kingdom. Silver, silver piedfort and gold versions were provided for as well.
The Royal Mint's figures record 7,928,250 of the portrait coin struck for circulation, a little more than the 7,452,250 of the Paddington coin. Only four of the 35 commemorative £2 issues with a figure in the Mint's data have a higher total: the 2005 Second World War, 2016 First World War Army, 2007 Slave Trade and 2012 Charles Dickens coins.
The reverse is by Rod Kelly. It shows a portrait of Brunel with two of his engineering achievements, the whole design encircled by a chain, with TWO POUNDS above and the date 2006 below. The Royal Mint identifies the bridge beside him as the Royal Albert Bridge, which spans the River Tamar.
The milled edge carries the incuse inscription 1806-1859 ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL ENGINEER. The obverse has the fourth portrait of Elizabeth II, by Ian Rank-Broadley, with the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRA REG FID DEF.
Varieties and errors
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin.
Coins offered as errors because the edge lettering is upside down are normal. The Royal Mint explains that the inscription is rolled onto the blank before striking, and that how the blank falls into the press decides which way up the lettering ends up.
Collecting notes
This is a coin to collect for the design. With close to eight million struck, a circulated example carries no scarcity, and a pair with the Brunel Paddington Station £2 is easy to put together.
Check Your Change reports known fakes of the Paddington coin but records none for the portrait coin. It is still worth checking that the core is centred, the edge inscription is complete and the dots around the obverse rim are sharp. Silver proof, silver piedfort and gold proof versions share the design, and the proclamation gives the gold coin a plain edge with the same lettering.
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 (data file), 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 Isambard Kingdom Brunel (London Gazette issue 57993, 26 May 2006, page 7298), The London Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- £2 Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2006 Elizabeth II 'The 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Isambard Kingdom Brunel' Portrait £2 Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2006 Two Pounds, Check Your Change (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Edge inscription on £2, £1 coins "upside down"?, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
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