Rare: fewer than 500,000 minted.
2 Pounds - Elizabeth II 4th portrait XVII Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland (2002)
"Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2002 |
| Denomination | 2 Pounds |
| Face value | £2 |
| Mintage | 485,500 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Commonwealth Games |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Composition | Bimetallic: copper-nickel center in nickel brass ring |
| Weight | 12.000g |
| Diameter | 28.4mm |
| Thickness | 2.50mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled: SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP·MANCHESTER 2002· |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | Matthew Bonaccorsi |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
© VN2012
ELIZABETH·II·DEI·GRA·REG·FID·DEF
A moving figure of an athlete holding a banner, divided into lines to symbolise lanes of a running track with Northern Irish flag, legend and denomination right.
XVII COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2002 £2
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 2002 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – XVII Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland
The 2002 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – XVII Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland is a circulating 2 pounds coin in the Commonwealth Games series, struck in bimetallic: copper-nickel center in nickel brass ring. It weighs 12g and measures 28.4mm across. Reverse design: A moving figure of an athlete holding a banner, divided into lines to symbolise lanes of a running track with Northern Irish flag, legend and denomination right.
485,500 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2002 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – XVII Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland worth?
No verified sale of the 2002 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – XVII Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland has been logged on MyCoinage yet.
How many Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2 coins were made?
The Royal Mint's mintage figures give 485,500 struck for circulation. That is the lowest total of the four 2002 Commonwealth Games coins (Wales 588,500, England 650,500, Scotland 771,750) and the lowest of any circulating £2 in the Mint's published data.
Is the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games £2 the rarest £2 coin?
Among £2 coins struck for circulation, yes on mintage. The Royal Mint places it first in its own list of the rarest £2 coins, at 485,500, and no other circulating £2 in the Mint's figures has a lower total. Change Checker also ranks it as the scarcest £2.
How do I tell the Northern Ireland £2 from the England one?
Look at the centre of the cross in the small round flag behind the athlete. England has a plain St George's cross. Northern Ireland has the Ulster Banner, the same cross with a crowned hand on a star at its centre. On a worn coin you will need a magnifier.
Who designed the 2002 Commonwealth Games £2?
Matthew Bonaccorsi designed the reverse, a stylised athlete holding a banner aloft. The same design was used for all four coins, with only the flag in the cartouche changed. The obverse portrait of Elizabeth II is by Ian Rank-Broadley.
Was the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games £2 issued for circulation?
Yes. It appears in the Royal Mint's circulating mintage figures, and the Mint describes the examples it sells as struck for general circulation. The royal proclamation for the issue also covered silver and gold versions made for collectors.
How do I identify the 2002 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – XVII Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland?
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 2002 Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2 is one of four coins issued for the XVII Commonwealth Games in Manchester, one for each home nation. The four share a design and differ only in a small flag. They were authorised together by a royal proclamation given on 18 July 2001.
This is the one collectors look for. The Royal Mint's figures give 485,500 struck for circulation, the lowest of the four (Wales 588,500, England 650,500, Scotland 771,750) and the lowest of any circulating £2 in the Mint's published data. The Mint puts it first in its own list of the rarest £2 coins. For scale, 13,024,750 standard Technology £2 coins were struck in the same year.
The reverse is by Matthew Bonaccorsi. A stylised athlete in motion holds a banner aloft, its upper part divided into fine lines that suggest the lanes of a track or swimming pool. In front of the figure are the inscription XVII COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2002 and the value, shown as £2 in figures. Behind the figure is a small circular cartouche holding the flag that identifies the coin. Here it is the Ulster Banner: a St George's cross with the Red Hand of Ulster, a star and a crown at its centre.
The edge is milled with the incuse inscription SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP MANCHESTER 2002. The obverse carries the fourth coinage portrait of Elizabeth II, by Ian Rank-Broadley, with the legend ELIZABETH II DEI GRA REG FID DEF.
Varieties and errors
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin.
The real problem is misidentification. Change Checker points out that the flag is shrunk to a tiny cameo and that the only difference between this coin and the England one is the emblem at the centre of the cross. Once that centre is worn, an England coin can be mistaken for the scarcer Northern Ireland one.
Collecting notes
Confirm the flag before anything else. Under magnification the centre of the cross should show a distinct emblem, not a plain crossing of two bars. Change Checker notes that the flags can usually be told apart on uncirculated coins, but that a circulated example is likely to need a magnifier. A coin whose centre is flat or blurred cannot be attributed with confidence.
The coin most often confused with it is the England £2. The next lowest mintage of the set belongs to the Wales £2. The same proclamation provided for silver and gold versions of the design.
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 XVII Commonwealth Games (London Gazette issue 56281, 20 July 2001, pages 8597 to 8598), The London Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2002 - The XVII Commonwealth Games in Manchester - Northern Ireland £2 Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The Rarest £2 Coins, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2002 Two Pounds, Check Your Change (read 9 Oct 2026)
- How to identify the UK's most scarce £2 coin, Change Checker (read 9 Oct 2026)
- £2 Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
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