Uncommon: fewer than 10,000,000 minted. Sells often: 56 verified sales in the last 12 months.
2 Pounds - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Steam Locomotive (2004)
"Trevithick £2"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2004 |
| Denomination | 2 Pounds |
| Face value | £2 |
| Mintage | 5,004,500 |
| 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 |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | Robert Lowe |
| 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
Image of Trevithick's locomotive Penydarren surrounded by a cog representing the industrial revolution, legend and dates around.
Steam Locomotive £2 market value
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AffiliateSteam Locomotive £2 price history
Daily limit reachedSteam Locomotive £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 | £17.22 🔒 eBay | £11.33 | – | £3.72 – £20.22 | 11 | 11 | 31-07-2026 | |
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| VF | £2.51 🔒 eBay | £3.51 | ▲0.6% | £1.16 – £25.99 | 44 | 44 | 16-10-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £14.00 🔒 eBay | £14.00 (1) | – | £14.00 – £14.00 | 1 | 1 | 02-04-2026 | |
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About the 2004 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Steam Locomotive
The 2004 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Steam Locomotive 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: Image of Trevithick's locomotive Penydarren surrounded by a cog representing the industrial revolution, legend and dates around.
5,004,500 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2004 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Steam Locomotive worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2004 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Steam Locomotive run from £3.51 to £14.00 across 3 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
Why does the 2004 Trevithick £2 have no writing on the edge?
It was designed that way. The royal proclamation for the coin specifies a grained edge with an incuse arched railway line motif in place of an inscription, and the Royal Mint lists the edge the same way. A 2004 steam locomotive £2 without edge lettering is normal, not an error.
How many Trevithick steam locomotive £2 coins were made?
The Royal Mint's mintage figures give 5,004,500 struck for circulation, all dated 2004. The standard Technology £2 of the same year had a mintage of 11,981,500, so the locomotive design accounts for nearly three in ten of the £2 coins dated 2004.
Is the 2004 steam locomotive £2 rare?
No. At 5,004,500 it is one of the more plentiful commemorative £2 coins: 23 of the 35 commemorative designs in the Royal Mint's circulating figures have lower mintages. The scarcest £2 coins were struck in numbers below one million.
Who designed the Trevithick £2?
Robert Lowe, whom the Royal Mint describes as one of its engravers, designed the reverse. It shows Richard Trevithick's Penydarren locomotive inside a cog wheel. The obverse carries the fourth coinage portrait of Elizabeth II, by Ian Rank-Broadley.
What does the 2004 steam locomotive £2 commemorate?
It marks 200 years since the first steam locomotive, built by the Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick. The Royal Mint says that in February 1804 his Penydarren locomotive hauled ten tons of iron, seventy passengers and five wagons over nine miles in South Wales.
How do I identify the 2004 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Steam Locomotive?
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 2004 Trevithick £2 marks the two-hundredth anniversary of the first steam locomotive. The Royal Mint's account is that in February 1804 the Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick made the first successful railway journey, in South Wales, when his Penydarren locomotive hauled ten tons of iron, seventy passengers and five wagons over nine miles. The coin was authorised by a royal proclamation given on 8 October 2003.
The Royal Mint's figures record 5,004,500 struck for circulation, all dated 2004, alongside 11,981,500 standard Technology £2 coins of the same date. Among the 35 commemorative £2 designs in the Mint's circulating figures, 23 have lower mintages, so this is one of the more plentiful ones.
The reverse is by Robert Lowe, described by the Royal Mint as one of its engravers. It shows a locomotive engine with the words TWO POUNDS above it, the whole set inside a cog wheel. Around the outside runs the circumscription R. TREVITHICK 1804 INVENTION INDUSTRY PROGRESS 2004.
The edge is the unusual feature. It has no words: the proclamation specifies graining with an incuse arched railway line motif. The obverse carries the fourth coinage portrait of Elizabeth II, by Ian Rank-Broadley, with the legend ELIZABETH II DEI GRA REG FID DEF. The outer ring is nickel-brass and the centre cupro-nickel.
Varieties and errors
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin.
The edge causes most of the confusion. A 2004 locomotive £2 with a pattern on the edge and no inscription is exactly as the proclamation and the Royal Mint describe it, so "missing edge lettering" is not an error on this design. Check Your Change describes the pattern as arcs and curves representing viaducts.
Collecting notes
This coin was struck for general circulation and remains legal tender. Check that the lettering around the rim and the teeth of the cog wheel are complete, that the locomotive's detail is still crisp and that the inner disc is centred.
The proclamation also provided for silver and gold versions for collectors. The gold coin has the railway line motif on a plain edge. The definitive coin of the same year is the Technology £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)
- £2 Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2004 Elizabeth II 'The 200th Anniversary of the First Steam Locomotive by Richard Trevithick' £2 Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and design for two-pound coins commemorating the two-hundredth anniversary of the first steam-powered locomotive (London Gazette issue 57079, 9 October 2003, page 12485), The London Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2004 Two Pounds, Check Your Change (read 9 Oct 2026)
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