Scarce: fewer than 2,000,000 minted. Sells often: 66 verified sales in the last 12 months.
2 Pounds - Elizabeth II 4th portrait London Olympic Centenary (2008)
"1908 London Olympics Centenary £2"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2008 |
| Denomination | 2 Pounds |
| Face value | £2 |
| Mintage | 910,000 |
| 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: THE 4TH OLYMPIAD LONDON |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | Thomas T Docherty |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
| Tags | commemorative highly-collectable |
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 ·
Running track with dates and denomination, legend around.
London Olympic Centenary £2 market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateLondon Olympic Centenary £2 price history
Daily limit reachedLondon Olympic Centenary £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 | £8.66 (1) | – | £8.66 – £8.66 | 1 | 1 | 21-08-2026 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| BU | £7.99 🔒 eBay | £9.99 | – | £7.99 – £14.78 | 4 | 4 | 13-09-2026 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| VF | £5.00 🔒 eBay | £5.53 | ▲10.5% | £1.79 – £1,230.66 | 58 | 59 | 16-10-2026 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| PR-65 | £10.80 🔒 eBay | £10.80 | – | £10.00 – £23.95 | 3 | 4 | 17-09-2026 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
About the 2008 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – London Olympic Centenary
The 2008 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – London Olympic Centenary 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: Running track with dates and denomination, legend around.
910,000 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2008 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – London Olympic Centenary worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2008 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – London Olympic Centenary run from £5.53 to £10.80 across 4 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many 1908 London Olympics Centenary £2 coins were made?
The Royal Mint's figures record 910,000 struck for circulation. That is slightly fewer than the 918,000 of the Olympic Handover £2 issued the same year, and far below the 30,107,000 Technology £2 coins dated 2008.
Is the 2008 London Olympic Centenary £2 rare?
It is one of the scarcer £2 coins. The Royal Mint places it eighth in its own list of the rarest £2 coins, and only seven circulating £2 issues in the Mint's mintage figures have a lower total than its 910,000.
Who designed the 1908 Olympics £2 coin?
Thomas T Docherty, whom the Royal Mint describes as one of its own engravers, designed the reverse. It shows a running track carrying the date 1908, encircled by the words LONDON OLYMPIC CENTENARY. The obverse portrait of Elizabeth II is by Ian Rank-Broadley.
What does the edge of the 1908 Olympics £2 say?
The milled edge reads THE 4TH OLYMPIAD LONDON in incuse letters. The 1908 London Games were the fourth Olympiad of the modern era, the first having been held in Athens in 1896. The wording is fixed by the royal proclamation for the coin.
Is the 2008 London Olympic Centenary £2 legal tender?
Yes. The royal proclamation that created the coin, in force from 11 October 2007, made the cupro-nickel and nickel-brass version current and legal tender for any amount throughout the United Kingdom. Silver and gold versions were struck for collectors.
How do I identify the 2008 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – London Olympic Centenary?
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
London first hosted the Olympic Games in 1908, at the purpose-built White City Stadium. A hundred years later, with the London 2012 Games ahead, the Royal Mint issued this £2 coin dated 2008 to mark the centenary. The royal proclamation for it came into force on 11 October 2007 and made the cupro-nickel and nickel-brass coin current and legal tender throughout the United Kingdom.
It is one of two Olympic £2 coins dated 2008. The other marks the handover of the Games from Beijing to London.
The Royal Mint's figures record 910,000 struck for circulation. Only seven circulating £2 issues in the Mint's figures have a lower total, and the Mint places this coin eighth in its own list of the rarest £2 coins. By comparison, 30,107,000 Technology £2 coins were struck with the same date.
The reverse is by Thomas T Docherty, who worked at the Royal Mint. It shows a running track, a shape the Mint describes as closely associated with the Olympics, with the date 1908 superimposed on it. The denomination TWO POUNDS and the date 2008 accompany the track, and the whole design is encircled by the inscription LONDON OLYMPIC CENTENARY.
The milled edge carries the incuse inscription THE 4TH OLYMPIAD LONDON. 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.
Edge lettering that appears upside down is not an error. The Royal Mint explains that the edge inscription is rolled onto the blank before the faces are struck, so it can point either way, and that there is no right or wrong way.
Collecting notes
This is a coin worth keeping from change. Its mintage is under a million, and Check Your Change rates it 3 on its scarcity scale, where most commemorative £2 coins of the period are rated 1.
Do not confuse it with the 2008 Olympic Handover £2, which shows a flag passing between two hands and has a different edge. On any example, check that the core is centred and the edge inscription is complete. The design was also struck as a silver proof, a silver piedfort and a gold proof, 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 centenary of the Olympic Games held in London in 1908 (London Gazette issue 58479, 12 October 2007), The London Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- £2 Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2008 Elizabeth II 'The Centenary of the London Olympic Games of 1908' £2 Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The Rarest £2 Coins, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2008 Two Pounds, Check Your Change (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Edge inscription on £2, £1 coins "upside down"?, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
More 2 Pounds coins from nearby years
