Exceptional: fewer than 1,000 minted.
2 Pounds - Elizabeth II XVII Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland Gold Proof (2002)
Circulating version: 2002 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – XVII Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2002 |
| Denomination | 2 Pounds |
| Face value | £2 |
| Mintage | 315 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Commonwealth Games |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 15.980g · 0.4710 t oz |
| Diameter | 28.4mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| 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 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.
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not a sale of this coinWe have no sold price for this coin yet. This range is the middle of what 9 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.
- £938
- £925
- £925
- £839
- £1,175
About the 2002 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II XVII Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland – Gold Proof
The 2002 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II XVII Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland – Gold Proof is a collector 2 pounds coin in the Commonwealth Games series, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 15.98g 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.
315 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2002 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II XVII Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland – Gold Proof worth?
No verified sale of the 2002 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II XVII Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland – Gold Proof has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its gold content is worth about £1,416 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How is the 2002 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II XVII Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland – Gold Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 2002 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II – XVII Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland, not the coin found in change. At 15.98g 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 2002 2 Pounds - Elizabeth II XVII Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland – Gold Proof?
Check the weight 15.98g 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 – XVII Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
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.
Sources
- 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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