Uncommon: fewer than 10,000,000 minted. Sells often: 31 verified sales in the last 12 months.
2 Pounds - Elizabeth II 5th portrait Shakespeare, Comedy (2016)
"Shakespeare Comedies £2"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2016 |
| Denomination | 2 Pounds |
| Face value | £2 |
| Mintage | 4,355,000 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Shakespeare Commemoratives |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Composition | Bimetallic: copper-nickel center in nickel brass ring |
| Weight | 12.000g |
| Diameter | 28.4mm |
| Thickness | 2.50mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled: ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Jody Clark |
| Rev. artist | John Bergdahl |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Fifth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the George IV State Diadem, legend around.
· ELIZABETH · II · D · G · REG · F · D · 2 POUNDS ·
A cap and bells with a Jester's stick, legend around, date below.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 2016
Shakespeare, Comedy £2 market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateShakespeare, Comedy £2 price history
Daily limit reachedShakespeare, Comedy £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 | £6.51 🔒 eBay | £6.51 (1) | – | £6.51 – £6.51 | 1 | 1 | 10-10-2026 | |
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| BU | £5.45 🔒 eBay | £9.73 | – | £4.37 – £16.95 | 6 | 6 | 03-10-2026 | |
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| VF | £3.84 🔒 eBay | £3.80 | ▲9.4% | £2.35 – £4.91 | 21 | 21 | 13-10-2026 | |
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| MS-67 | £24.08 🔒 | £24.08 (1) | – | £24.08 – £24.08 | 1 | 1 | 19-09-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £34.50 🔒 eBay | £34.50 (1) | – | £34.50 – £34.50 | 1 | 1 | 11-04-2026 | |
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| PR-69 | £69.00 🔒 eBay | £69.00 (1) | – | £69.00 – £69.00 | 1 | 1 | 10-02-2026 | |
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About the 2016 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Shakespeare, Comedy
The 2016 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Shakespeare, Comedy is a circulating 2 pounds coin in the Shakespeare Commemoratives series, struck in bimetallic: copper-nickel center in nickel brass ring. It weighs 12g and measures 28.4mm across. Reverse design: A cap and bells with a Jester's stick, legend around, date below.
4,355,000 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2016 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Shakespeare, Comedy worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2016 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Shakespeare, Comedy run from £3.80 to £69.00 across 6 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many Shakespeare Comedies £2 coins were made?
The Royal Mint's figures record 4,355,000 struck for circulation. That is the lowest of the three 2016 Shakespeare £2 coins, below the Tragedies coin at 4,615,000 and the Histories coin at 5,655,000.
Is the Shakespeare Comedies £2 rare?
No. It is the least common of the three Shakespeare coins, but 4,355,000 is an ordinary mintage for a commemorative £2. The 2016 Great Fire of London £2, for comparison, has 1,625,000, and the scarcest £2 coins are below 700,000.
What is on the Shakespeare Comedies £2?
The reverse shows a jester's cap and bells with a jester's stick, around the inscription WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 2016. The Royal Mint describes them as ready to be taken up each time the plays are performed. The design is by John Bergdahl.
What does the edge of the Shakespeare Comedies £2 say?
The edge reads ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE, which Change Checker identifies as a line from As You Like It. The Royal Mint's pages give the wording without an apostrophe, although the royal proclamation for the coin prints it as WORLD'S.
Is the missing apostrophe on the Shakespeare Comedies £2 an error?
It is not treated as one. The Royal Mint's own design page and its set listing both give the edge as ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE, so the wording without an apostrophe is the standard coin, even though the proclamation's printed text includes one.
How do I identify the 2016 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Shakespeare, Comedy?
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 Comedies £2 is one of three coins issued in 2016 for the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death, one each for his comedies, histories and tragedies. The Royal Mint called the trio a first for the United Kingdom: three official £2 coins struck in honour of one writer. All three were authorised by a royal proclamation given on 8 October 2015.
The Royal Mint's figures record 4,355,000 Comedies coins struck for circulation. That is the lowest of the three, below the Tragedies coin at 4,615,000 and the Histories coin at 5,655,000. Change Checker records that the coins were stocked in the tills of the Royal Shakespeare Company's theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon when they first entered circulation.
The reverse is by John Bergdahl, who designed all three coins. The proclamation describes it as a cap and bells with a jester's stick, with the inscription WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 2016. The Royal Mint describes the jester's props as ready to be taken up each time the works are performed.
The edge is milled and reads ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE in incuse letters. Change Checker identifies the line as a quotation from As You Like It.
The obverse carries the fifth coinage portrait of Elizabeth II, by Jody Clark. The reverse has no statement of value, so the obverse legend ends with 2 POUNDS.
Varieties and errors
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin.
The edge has no apostrophe in WORLDS. The proclamation prints the phrase with one, but the Royal Mint's design page and its listing for the three-coin set both give it without, so this is the standard wording and not a fault on individual coins.
Edge lettering that reads upside down against the Queen's head is also normal. The Royal Mint's FAQ explains that the inscription is rolled onto the blank before the coin is struck, so it can fall either way. The one documented edge mix-up among the 2016 coins belongs to the Tragedies £2, some of which carry the Army coin's inscription.
Collecting notes
Check that the edge reads ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE in full, since the three Shakespeare coins share an obverse and a reverse inscription and differ only in the central design and the edge.
The coin was struck for circulation and remains current. The Royal Mint sold all three together in a Brilliant Uncirculated three-coin set, and the proclamation provides for silver, silver piedfort and gold versions. Gold proofs of this design used at the Trial of the Pyx were later offered for sale by the Mint.
The highest-mintage coin of the set is the Histories £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)
- Two Pound Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and designs for a new series of two pound coins (London Gazette issue 61384, 16 October 2015), The London Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2016 Elizabeth II 'The Shakespeare Comedies' £2 Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The Shakespeare 2016 UK £2 Brilliant Uncirculated Three Coin Collection, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- To collect, or not to collect...the Shakespeare £2 coins!, Change Checker (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2016 Two Pounds, Check Your Change (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Trial of the Pyx Shakespeare Comedies 2016 UK £2 Gold Proof Coin, The Royal Mint (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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