Exceptional: fewer than 1,000 minted.
2 Pounds - Elizabeth II Shakespeare, Tragedy Gold Proof (2016)
Circulating version: 2016 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Shakespeare, Tragedy
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2016 |
| Denomination | 2 Pounds |
| Face value | £2 |
| Mintage | 291 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Shakespeare Commemoratives |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 15.970g · 0.4707 t oz |
| Diameter | 28.4mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Fifth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the George IV State Diadem, legend around.
A skull next to a rose, legend around, date below.
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Daily limit reachedGold Proof £2 estimated value
not a sale of this coinWe have no sold price for this coin yet. This range is the middle of what 12 similar coins sold for as issued: the same denomination and metal, struck within 5 years. The lower figure is its metal value today. Treat it as a guide, not a valuation.
- £1,000
- £875
- £1,288
- £830
- £1,050
About the 2016 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II Shakespeare, Tragedy – Gold Proof
The 2016 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II Shakespeare, Tragedy – Gold Proof is a collector 2 pounds coin in the Shakespeare Commemoratives series, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 15.97g and measures 28.4mm across. Reverse design: A skull next to a rose, legend around, date below.
291 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2016 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II Shakespeare, Tragedy – Gold Proof worth?
No verified sale of the 2016 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II Shakespeare, Tragedy – Gold Proof has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its gold content is worth about £1,410 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How is the 2016 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II Shakespeare, Tragedy – Gold Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 2016 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Shakespeare, Tragedy, not the coin found in change. At 15.97g of 91.67% gold it is heavier than the 12g nickel circulating coin, so weighing it is the quickest check.
How do I identify the 2016 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II Shakespeare, Tragedy – Gold Proof?
Check the weight 15.97g and diameter 28.4mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
This is a collector version of the 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Shakespeare, Tragedy. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
The Tragedies £2 is one of three coins issued in 2016 for the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death, alongside coins for the comedies and the histories. All three were authorised by one royal proclamation, given on 8 October 2015.
The Royal Mint's figures record 4,615,000 Tragedies coins struck for circulation. That sits between the Comedies coin at 4,355,000 and the Histories coin at 5,655,000. Change Checker reports that a higher figure was first published and that the Mint corrected it in 2019, which is why some older lists rank the three coins differently.
It is the one coin of the trio with a documented mint error: a small number carry the wrong edge inscription.
The reverse is by John Bergdahl. The proclamation describes it as a skull next to a rose, with the inscription WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 2016. Change Checker explains the skull as Yorick's, from the scene in Hamlet in which the prince speaks to the dead jester's skull, and the rose as a reference to Romeo and Juliet.
The edge is milled and reads WHAT A PIECE OF WORK IS A MAN in incuse letters, the opening of a line from Hamlet.
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.
Sources
- 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 Tragedies' £2 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)
- 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)
- Mis-strikes and myths, Change Checker (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Lot 9230, Elizabeth II 'Shakespeare' Two-Pounds, 2016, 'Tragedies', FOR KING AND COUNTRY edge (Spink Numismatic e-Circular 14, auction 21171), Spink (read 9 Oct 2026)
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