2007 Abolition of the Slave Trade £2 Coin
The 2007 Abolition of the Slave Trade £2 is a circulating £2 with 8.45 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2007
- Circulation mintage
- 8,445,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- David Gentleman
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 2007 Abolition of the Slave Trade £2 worth?
8.45 million were made, so the 2007 Abolition of the Slave Trade £2 is easy to find. A circulated one is worth face value; collectors pay a little more only for uncirculated coins and coins still in their original Royal Mint pack.
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 2007 Abolition of the Slave Trade £2 rare?
- No. 8.45 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2007 Abolition of the Slave Trade £2 coins were made?
- 8,445,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2007 Abolition of the Slave Trade £2?
- The design is credited to David Gentleman.
- What is the 2007 Abolition of the Slave Trade £2 made of?
- Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring. It weighs 12.0 g and measures 28.4 mm.
- Is the 2007 Abolition of the Slave Trade £2 still legal tender?
- Yes. Every two-metal £2 coin, commemoratives included, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2007 Abolition of the Slave Trade £2 was made
On 25 March 1807, the Slave Trade Act became law, making it illegal for British subjects to take part in the transatlantic slave trade. It followed some twenty years of campaigning by abolitionists such as William Wilberforce, Thomas Clarkson and Olaudah Equiano, a formerly enslaved man whose memoir, published in 1789, helped turn public opinion. The act ended the trade but not slavery itself, which continued in British colonies until the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.
The bicentenary in 2007 was marked across Britain with exhibitions, services and new research into the country's role in the trade. The Royal Mint issued a £2 coin, its second of the year alongside the Act of Union design. It was struck in large numbers for circulation: 8,445,000 in total. The design is by the artist David Gentleman, well known for his postage stamps and for the long murals on the platforms of Charing Cross underground station. His coin is one of the plainest of the series. Many collectors think it is one of the strongest.
How to recognize it
David Gentleman built his design around the date 1807, with its zero drawn as a broken chain link, a simple and powerful image. Around it runs the inscription AN ACT FOR THE ABOLITION OF THE SLAVE TRADE, with the date 2007. The edge reads AM I NOT A MAN AND A BROTHER, the motto used on the famous abolitionist medallion of the 1780s that showed a kneeling enslaved man in chains. The broken link in the date makes the coin easy to recognize. No other £2 of the period relies so heavily on lettering, which also makes it quick to identify. The obverse carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of the Queen.
The other side carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1998 to 2015.
2007 Abolition of the Slave Trade £2 by the numbers
In mintage terms the 2007 Abolition of the Slave Trade £2 ranks 40th lowest of 42 circulating £2 coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 1986 Commonwealth Games 1986 £2 (8.21 million); the next more common is the 2016 The Army £2 (9.55 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2005 End of World War II (VE Day 60) £2 with 10.2 million, about 1.2 times as many. The scarcest is the 1989 Claim of Right £2 with 381,400, 22 times fewer than this one.
It was released in 2007 alongside 1 other circulating £2 design: the Act of Union (7.54 million). The 2007 Abolition of the Slave Trade £2 was the most plentiful of the year.
What to check on your 2007 Abolition of the Slave Trade £2
- Read the edge. It should say AM I NOT A MAN AND A BROTHER. 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.
With 8,445,000 struck for circulation, this is a common coin and worn examples are face value. Uncirculated coins carry a small premium. The design is mostly lettering, so look at how sharp the letters around the rim are when judging condition; worn coins lose definition in the smaller words first. As with any £2, a quick authenticity check costs nothing: the edge inscription should be clear and correct, the colors of the two metals distinct and the center firmly seated.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 pounds |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2007 |
| Circulation mintage | 8,445,000 |
| Composition | Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring |
| Weight | 12.0 g |
| Diameter | 28.4 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Lettered: AM I NOT A MAN AND A BROTHER |
| Designer | David Gentleman |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Other 2007 £2 coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 Act of Union £2 Coin | 7,545,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
What does AM I NOT A MAN AND A BROTHER mean on the £2 coin?
It is the edge inscription of the 2007 Abolition of the Slave Trade £2. The phrase was the motto of the eighteenth century campaign against the slave trade, used on a widely copied medallion showing an enslaved man in chains.
Who designed the 2007 slave trade £2?
David Gentleman, an artist and designer known for his British postage stamps. His design shows the date 1807 with the zero as a broken chain link, surrounded by AN ACT FOR THE ABOLITION OF THE SLAVE TRADE and the date 2007.
Mintage figures: Two pound coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.