Uncommon: fewer than 10,000,000 minted. Sells often: 74 verified sales in the last 12 months.
2 Pounds - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Robert Burns (2009)
"Robert Burns £2"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2009 |
| Denomination | 2 Pounds |
| Face value | £2 |
| Mintage | 3,253,000 |
| 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: SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | The Royal Mint Engraving Team |
| 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 design featuring a quote from the song Auld Lang Syne in the handwriting of Robert Burns.
Robert Burns £2 market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateRobert Burns £2 price history
Daily limit reachedRobert Burns £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 | £19.35 🔒 eBay | £19.35 (1) | – | £19.35 – £19.35 | 1 | 1 | 25-04-2026 | |
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| BU | £16.15 🔒 eBay | £15.04 | – | £5.45 – £34.95 | 14 | 14 | 10-10-2026 | |
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| VF | £8.95 🔒 eBay | £3.84 | ▲7.7% | £1.04 – £16.10 | 57 | 57 | 12-10-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £12.95 🔒 eBay | £12.98 (2) | – | £12.95 – £13.00 | 2 | 2 | 13-04-2026 | |
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About the 2009 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Robert Burns
The 2009 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Robert Burns 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 design featuring a quote from the song Auld Lang Syne in the handwriting of Robert Burns.
3,253,000 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2009 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Robert Burns worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2009 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Robert Burns run from £3.84 to £19.35 across 4 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many Robert Burns £2 coins were made?
The Royal Mint's figures record 3,253,000 struck for circulation, all dated 2009. That is fewer than the 3,903,000 of the Charles Darwin £2 issued the same year, and fewer than the 8,775,000 Technology £2 coins dated 2009.
Is the Robert Burns £2 rare?
No. Its 3,253,000 is on the lower side for a commemorative £2 but well short of scarce. Of the 35 commemorative £2 issues with a figure in the Royal Mint's mintage data, 15 have a lower circulating total.
Who designed the Robert Burns £2?
The Royal Mint credits the reverse to its own Engraving Team, with no individual named. The lettering is based on the handwriting of Robert Burns. The obverse carries the fourth portrait of Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley.
What do the words on the Robert Burns £2 say?
The reverse quotes Auld Lang Syne: the royal proclamation gives the line as WE'LL TAK A CUP A' KINDNESS YET, FOR AULD LANG SYNE. Around it are 1759 ROBERT BURNS 1796 and TWO POUNDS. The edge reads SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT.
Why is there no date on the back of the Burns £2?
The reverse carries Burns's own dates, 1759 and 1796, so the year of issue was moved to the obverse. The proclamation places the date 2009 with the Queen's inscription, and Check Your Change notes it is shown at the bottom of that side.
How do I identify the 2009 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Robert Burns?
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
Robert Burns was born on 25 January 1759 and died in 1796, aged 37. This £2 coin, dated 2009, marks the 250th anniversary of his birth.
The royal proclamation for the coin came into force on 10 October 2008, on the same day as the one for the Charles Darwin £2. It made the cupro-nickel and nickel-brass coin current and legal tender throughout the United Kingdom, and provided for silver, silver piedfort and gold versions.
The Royal Mint's figures record 3,253,000 struck for circulation, the lower of the two commemorative £2 totals for 2009. Of the 35 commemorative £2 issues with a figure in the Mint's data, 15 have a lower total, so it sits a little below the middle of the range.
The reverse has no picture. It is a quotation from the song Auld Lang Syne, given in the proclamation as WE'LL TAK A CUP A' KINDNESS YET, FOR AULD LANG SYNE, in calligraphy based on Burns's own handwriting. Around it run the inscription 1759 ROBERT BURNS 1796 and the denomination TWO POUNDS. The Royal Mint credits the design to its Engraving Team and says it was the first British coin with a design based solely on handwriting.
The milled edge carries the incuse inscription SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT. Because the reverse shows Burns's dates, the year 2009 is on the obverse, with the inscription ELIZABETH II D G REG FID DEF around the fourth portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley.
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 inscription is rolled onto the blank before the faces are struck, so it can point towards either side of the coin, and that there is no right or wrong way.
Collecting notes
The design is all fine script, so choose an example where every word of the quotation is still crisp. Check too that the core is centred and that 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. The other commemorative £2 of 2009 is the Charles Darwin £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.
- 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-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns (Belfast Gazette issue 7022, 10 October 2008, page 1154), The Belfast Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- £2 Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2009 Elizabeth II 'The 250th Anniversary of the Birth of Robert Burns' £2 Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2009 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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