WW1 £2 Coins: The Royal Mint’s First World War Series 2014–2018
The Royal Mint issued one £2 a year for the First World War centenary, from the 2014 Kitchener to the 2018 Armistice. Only three of the five went into circulation. The two you cannot find in change, the 2017 Aviation and the 2018 Armistice, are the ones worth most. This guide covers what each coin shows, its mintage, its edge inscription and what it actually sells for.
The five £2 coins year by year
2014: Lord Kitchener (John Bergdahl)
Marks the outbreak of war in August 1914. John Bergdahl’s reverse shows Lord Kitchener pointing, with the words YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU, after the famous recruiting poster. The edge reads THE LAMPS ARE GOING OUT ALL OVER EUROPE, from Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey. 5,720,000 were struck for circulation, so it is common. See the 2014 Kitchener £2 price page.
2015: Royal Navy (David Rowlands)
David Rowlands’ design shows a Dreadnought-class battleship at sea, with birds and a seaplane overhead. The edge reads THE SURE SHIELD OF BRITAIN. With 650,000 struck for circulation, it is the scarcest of the WW1 £2s you can find in change. It was issued with both the fourth and fifth portraits of the Queen; the fourth-portrait version was sold in BU packs (57,006). See the 2015 Royal Navy £2 price page.
2016: The Army (Tim Sharp)
Tim Sharp’s design shows the stylised silhouettes of three soldiers, a nod to the Pals Battalions, with THE FIRST WORLD WAR 1914-1918. The edge reads FOR KING AND COUNTRY. 9,550,000 were struck for circulation, the most of the series. There is a known error with the edge of the 2016 Great Fire of London £2, THE WHOLE CITY IN DREADFUL FLAMES, so check the edge of every one you find. See the 2016 Army £2 price page.
2017: Aviation, “The War in the Air” (Dan Flashman)
Dan Flashman’s design shows a First World War reconnaissance aircraft with THE WAR IN THE AIR and 1914 · 1918. The edge reads THE SKY RAINED HEROES. It was not issued for circulation. It was sold as a brilliant uncirculated coin (around 91,000 minted) and in silver and gold proof. A few hundred were handed out at an RAF Duxford promotion, so one occasionally turns up in change. See the 2017 Aviation £2 price page.
2018: Armistice (Stephen Raw)
The last coin in the series is typographic rather than pictorial. Letter-cutter Stephen Raw set the Wilfred Owen line THE TRUTH UNTOLD THE PITY OF WAR around THE FIRST WORLD WAR • ARMISTICE • 1918. The edge reads WILFRED OWEN KILLED IN ACTION 4 NOV 1918, a week before the Armistice. Like the 2017 coin, it was not issued for circulation: 68,277 were minted in BU packs, plus proofs. See the 2018 Armistice £2 price page.
Mintages and edge inscriptions
| Year | Coin | Designer | Circulation mintage | Edge inscription |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Kitchener | John Bergdahl | 5,720,000 | THE LAMPS ARE GOING OUT ALL OVER EUROPE |
| 2015 | Royal Navy | David Rowlands | 650,000 | THE SURE SHIELD OF BRITAIN |
| 2016 | The Army | Tim Sharp | 9,550,000 | FOR KING AND COUNTRY |
| 2017 | Aviation | Dan Flashman | None (BU and proof only) | THE SKY RAINED HEROES |
| 2018 | Armistice | Stephen Raw | None (BU and proof only) | WILFRED OWEN KILLED IN ACTION 4 NOV 1918 |
What they sell for
These are medians of the realised sale prices we have recorded, not dealer asking prices. Low sale counts make a median less reliable, so the number of sales is shown.
| Coin | Standard strike | Silver proof | Silver Piedfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 Kitchener | £4.45 (51 sales) | £31.58 (1 sale) | £51.21 (1 sale) |
| 2015 Royal Navy | £8.66 (94 sales) | £40.00 (17 sales) | £81.85 (10 sales) |
| 2016 Army | £6.55 (37 sales) | £34.99 (9 sales) | £68.96 (2 sales) |
| 2017 Aviation | £18.40 BU (18 sales) | £55 (2 sales) | No sales yet |
| 2018 Armistice | £22.97 BU (15 sales) | £35.31 (3 sales) | No sales yet |
Gold proofs (a few hundred of each) sell mainly on their gold content. The gold proof sales we have recorded sit between £550 and £670, and move with the gold price.
Which ones to look for in change
- 2015 Royal Navy: the only genuinely scarce circulating coin in the set. Look for the battleship.
- 2016 Army: common, but check the edge for the Great Fire of London error.
- 2014 Kitchener: common. Worth face value unless it is uncirculated in its pack.
- 2017 Aviation and 2018 Armistice: these should not be in change. If you find one, it almost certainly came out of a collector pack (or, for 2017, the Duxford giveaway).
Building the complete set
You can put the three circulating coins together from change and a few swaps. The 2017 and 2018 coins have to be bought. Going by the medians above, a full five-coin set with BU packs for 2017 and 2018 comes to roughly £60 at recent prices. For the Second World War coins that followed, see our WWII commemorative coins guide.
Related £2 coins on MyCoinage
Browse every £2 in our database →
Frequently asked questions
What WW1 commemorative coins did the Royal Mint issue?
How much is the 2014 Lord Kitchener £2 worth?
How much is the 2018 Armistice £2 worth?
What are the mintages of the WW1 £2 coins?
How much is a 2015 Royal Navy £2 worth?
Is the 2017 WW1 Aviation £2 rare?
What are the edge inscriptions on the WW1 £2 coins?
Who designed the WW1 £2 coins?
Further reading
- Rare £2 coins UK, the scarcest £2s to look for in change.
- £2 coin values UK, values for every bimetallic £2.
- £2 edge inscription errors, including the 2016 Army / Great Fire mix-up.
- WWII commemorative coins UK, the Second World War anniversary coins.