2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 Coin
The 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 is a circulating £2 with 771,750 made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2002
- Circulation mintage
- 771,750
- Value band
- Small premium
- Designer
- Matthew Bonaccorsi
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 worth?
At 771,750, the 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 has a smaller run than most £2 coins, so collectors pay a small premium for it, especially in uncirculated condition. Well circulated examples sit close to face value.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with crisp edge lettering
- Original Royal Mint pack or presentation folder
- A genuine mint error such as a misaligned or wrong edge, confirmed by an expert
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 rare?
- It is scarcer than most £2 coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 coins were made?
- 771,750 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2?
- The design is credited to Matthew Bonaccorsi.
- What is the 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 made of?
- Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring. It weighs 12.0 g and measures 28.4 mm.
- Is the 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 still legal tender?
- Yes. Every two-metal £2 coin, commemoratives included, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 was made
The 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester brought thousands of athletes from across the Commonwealth to the north of England. Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland each send their own teams to the Games rather than a single British team, a tradition that goes back to the first Games in 1930. For Scottish fans the event is a chance to cheer their own athletes under their own flag, something the Olympics do not offer.
The Royal Mint reflected that by issuing four versions of its 2002 £2, each featuring one nation's flag. The Scottish version bears the saltire of St Andrew. Scotland had already hosted the Games twice, both times in Edinburgh, in 1970 and 1986. The 1986 event had been marked by the first nickel-brass £2 coin. That gives this piece a neat link to the start of the £2 story. The two coins sit well together in a Scottish collection. At 771,750 for circulation, it is the most plentiful of the four 2002 coins but still scarce by £2 standards.
How to recognize it
The reverse, designed by Matthew Bonaccorsi, shows a stylized athlete holding a banner, with the inscription XVII COMMONWEALTH GAMES. Here the flag beside the athlete is the Saltire, the diagonal cross of St Andrew, which is easy to tell apart from England's upright cross once you know to look. The edge of all four versions reads SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP MANCHESTER 2002. On a worn coin the flag can be hard to make out, so tilt it under a lamp and use a magnifier if you have one. The ring is nickel-brass and the center cupronickel, with Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait on the obverse.
The other side carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1998 to 2015.
2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 ranks 6th lowest of 42 circulating £2 coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2002 Commonwealth Games England £2 (650,500); the next more common is the 2012 London to Rio Handover £2 (845,000).
For scale, the most common is the 2005 End of World War II (VE Day 60) £2 with 10.2 million, about 13 times as many. The scarcest is the 1989 Claim of Right £2 with 381,400, 2 times fewer than this one.
2002 brought 3 other circulating £2 designs: the Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland (485,500), the Commonwealth Games Wales (588,500) and the Commonwealth Games England (650,500). The 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 was the most plentiful of the year.
What to check on your 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2
- Read the edge. It should say SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP MANCHESTER 2002. A wrong or missing edge inscription is the quickest sign of a counterfeit.
- Check the two metals: a silver-colored center and a gold-colored ring, with the ring tight and level all the way around.
- Weigh it: a genuine two-metal £2 weighs 12.0 g. Fakes are often a little light and softer in detail.
- Compare the portrait and lettering with a known genuine coin. Blurry letters, a flat portrait or uneven spacing point to a copy.
Although it has the highest mintage of the four, 771,750 is still very low next to the millions struck for most bimetallic £2 coins. The Scotland coin carries a collector premium. Copies exist, so check a few things before you celebrate. The edge letters should be clean and evenly spaced, with the inscription correct. The two metals should show a distinct gold ring and silver center, the center should not wobble or show a gap and the saltire should have sharp outlines. A soft, blurry flag is a warning sign.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 pounds |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2002 |
| Circulation mintage | 771,750 |
| Composition | Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring |
| Weight | 12.0 g |
| Diameter | 28.4 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Lettered: SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP MANCHESTER 2002 |
| Designer | Matthew Bonaccorsi |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Other 2002 £2 coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 Commonwealth Games England £2 Coin | 650,500 | Small premium |
| 2002 Commonwealth Games Wales £2 Coin | 588,500 | Small premium |
| 2002 Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2 Coin | 485,500 | Small premium |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Scotland Commonwealth Games £2 rare?
It is scarce. 771,750 were struck for circulation, the most of the four 2002 Commonwealth Games coins but far below a typical £2. Collectors pay well above face value for genuine examples, particularly in uncirculated condition.
What flag is on the Scottish Commonwealth Games £2?
The Saltire, the diagonal cross of St Andrew, appears beside the athlete. On the coin it shows as an X-shaped cross in relief, with no color. England's version has an upright cross instead, so the angle of the cross tells them apart.
Mintage figures: Two pound coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.