Scarce: fewer than 2,000,000 minted. Sells often: 51 verified sales in the last 12 months.
2 Pounds - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Olympic Handover (2012)
"London 2012 Handover to Rio £2"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2012 |
| Denomination | 2 Pounds |
| Face value | £2 |
| Mintage | 845,000 |
| 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 with inscription: I CALL UPON THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | Jonathan Olliffe |
| 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 · D · G · REG · FID · DEF · TWO POUNDS · 2012 ·
A baton being passed between two hands above flags of the UK and Brazil and below the London 2012 logo.
Olympic Handover £2 market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateOlympic Handover £2 price history
Daily limit reachedOlympic Handover £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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BU | £26.69 🔒 eBay | £29.30 | – | £8.65 – £41.00 | 4 | 4 | 16-08-2026 | |
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| VF | £7.32 🔒 eBay | £6.32 | ▼2.3% | £2.24 – £26.70 | 47 | 47 | 14-10-2026 | |
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| PR-68 | £51.60 🔒 | £51.60 (1) | – | £51.60 – £51.60 | 0 | 1 | 08-03-2025 | |
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About the 2012 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Olympic Handover
The 2012 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Olympic Handover 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 baton being passed between two hands above flags of the UK and Brazil and below the London 2012 logo.
845,000 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2012 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Olympic Handover worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2012 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Olympic Handover run from £6.32 to £51.60 across 3 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many London 2012 Handover £2 coins were made?
The Royal Mint's mintage figures record 845,000 struck for circulation, all dated 2012. That is the seventh lowest circulating £2 total in the Mint's figures and lower than the 918,000 of the 2008 Beijing to London handover coin.
Is the 2012 Handover to Rio £2 rare?
It is one of the scarcer circulating £2 coins. Only six have a lower mintage in the Royal Mint's figures: the four 2002 Commonwealth Games coins and the 2015 Britannia and Royal Navy coins. The Royal Mint ranks it seventh in its own list of the rarest £2 coins.
Who designed the London 2012 Handover £2?
Jonathan Olliffe designed the reverse, which shows a relay baton passing from one hand to another over the joined flags of the United Kingdom and Brazil. The portrait of Elizabeth II on the obverse is by Ian Rank-Broadley.
What is the difference between the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Handover £2 coins?
The 2008 coin marks the handover from Beijing to London and shows a flag being passed, with 918,000 struck. The 2012 coin marks London to Rio, shows a baton, and has 845,000 struck. Both carry the same edge inscription, I CALL UPON THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD.
Is the 2012 Handover £2 legal tender?
Yes. The royal proclamation of 10 July 2012 made the cupro-nickel and nickel-brass coin current and legal tender for any amount throughout the United Kingdom, and the bimetallic £2 has not been withdrawn.
How do I identify the 2012 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Olympic Handover?
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
At the end of each Olympic Games the next host city is recognised in a handover ceremony. This £2 marks the handover from London to Rio de Janeiro, which took place at the London 2012 closing ceremony on 12 August 2012. It is the second handover £2: the first, dated 2008, marked the passing of the Games from Beijing to London.
The design was set by a royal proclamation given at Windsor Castle on 10 July 2012. The Royal Mint's figures record 845,000 struck for circulation, the seventh lowest circulating £2 total in those figures. Only the four 2002 Commonwealth Games coins and the 2015 Britannia and Royal Navy coins are lower, and the Royal Mint places this coin seventh in its own list of the rarest £2 coins.
The reverse is by Jonathan Olliffe. It shows a relay baton being passed from one hand to another, with the Union Flag and the flag of Brazil joined together behind the hands. The proclamation describes the background as a running track motif. The London 2012 logo sits above, and the inscription LONDON 2012 RIO 2016 runs around the design.
The edge is milled with the incuse inscription I CALL UPON THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD, the same words used on the 2008 handover coin.
The obverse carries the fourth portrait of Elizabeth II, by Ian Rank-Broadley. Because the reverse does not state a value, the obverse legend includes the denomination: ELIZABETH II D G REG FID DEF TWO POUNDS 2012. The coin has a nickel-brass outer ring and a cupro-nickel centre.
Varieties and errors
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin. Edge lettering that reads upside down against the Queen's head is not an error: the Royal Mint says the inscription is rolled on before striking and can face either way.
Collecting notes
The first thing to check is which handover coin you have, because the two are often confused in listings. The 2008 Beijing to London coin shows a flag passing from hand to hand and names Beijing 2008 and London 2012. The 2012 coin shows a baton, names RIO 2016, and has TWO POUNDS and the date on the Queen's side.
With 845,000 struck, far fewer exist than of most £2 designs. On an example, look for a clear London 2012 logo and a complete edge inscription.
The proclamation also authorised a silver proof, a silver piedfort and a gold proof, each listed separately on this site. The gold coin has a plain edge with the same incuse lettering. The other low-mintage Olympic £2 is the 1908 London Olympics centenary coin at 910,000.
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)
- Two Pound Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and design for two-pound coins celebrating the handover from the London to the Rio de Janeiro Olympiad in 2012 (London Gazette issue 60208, 13 July 2012), The London Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2012 Elizabeth II 'The London 2012 Handover to Rio' £2 Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The Rarest £2 Coins, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Queen Elizabeth II £2: London 2012 Handover, Change Checker (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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