2013 Guinea £2 Coin
The 2013 Guinea £2 is a circulating £2 with 2.99 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2013
- Circulation mintage
- 2,990,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- Anthony Smith ARBS
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 2013 Guinea £2 worth?
2.99 million were made, so the 2013 Guinea £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 2013 Guinea £2 rare?
- No. 2.99 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2013 Guinea £2 coins were made?
- 2,990,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2013 Guinea £2?
- The design is credited to Anthony Smith ARBS.
- What is the 2013 Guinea £2 made of?
- Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring. It weighs 12.0 g and measures 28.4 mm.
- Is the 2013 Guinea £2 still legal tender?
- Yes. Every two-metal £2 coin, commemoratives included, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2013 Guinea £2 was made
The guinea was first struck in 1663, under Charles II. It was a gold coin made partly from gold brought from the Guinea coast of West Africa, which is how it got its name. Its value in silver shillings moved around for decades until 1717, when it was fixed at 21 shillings, a decision made while Isaac Newton was Master of the Mint. The gold sovereign took over from 1817, but the guinea never quite went away: it lived on as a sum of money in horse racing, auctions and professional fees for many years.
In 2013 the Royal Mint marked the guinea's 350th anniversary with this £2. Anthony Smith ARBS based the design on the spade guinea, struck under George III, whose shield has a pointed shape that reminded people of a garden spade. The circulation mintage was 2,990,000, a middling figure that means it turns up in change now and then without being common. It's one of the few £2 designs that celebrates a coin rather than a person or event.
How to recognize it
The reverse recreates the spade guinea: a shield bearing the royal arms of George III, with the pointed, spade-like outline that gave the old coin its nickname. Around it runs ANNIVERSARY OF THE GOLDEN GUINEA 2013. Because it copies an eighteenth century coin, it can look like a historic piece at first glance, but the bimetallic construction and £2 size give it away instantly. The edge reads WHAT IS A GUINEA? 'TIS A SPLENDID THING, a line from the actor Stephen Kemble. The heraldic quarters of the shield hold a lot of small detail, including the lions of England. Anthony Smith ARBS designed it.
The other side carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1998 to 2015.
2013 Guinea £2 by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 2013 Guinea £2 ranks 18th lowest of 42 circulating £2 coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2013 London Underground Train £2 (1.69 million); the next more common is the 2009 Robert Burns £2 (3.25 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2005 End of World War II (VE Day 60) £2 with 10.2 million, about 3.4 times as many. The scarcest is the 1989 Claim of Right £2 with 381,400, 7.8 times fewer than this one.
2013 brought 2 other circulating £2 designs: the London Underground Roundel (1.56 million) and the London Underground Train (1.69 million). The 2013 Guinea £2 was the most plentiful of the year.
What to check on your 2013 Guinea £2
- Read the edge. It should say WHAT IS A GUINEA? ‘TIS A SPLENDID THING (Stephen Kemble quotation). 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.
At just under three million, the Guinea £2 is common enough to be a face value coin when worn. Its fine heraldic detail rubs down quickly, so a coin where the quarters of the shield are still clear is a far better keeper. Uncirculated examples carry a small premium at most. The Royal Mint also offered it in presentation packs, where the shield looks crisp and bright. Fakes of this design are not a common problem. It pairs nicely with an old guinea in a collection if you like to show a modern tribute next to the real thing.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 pounds |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2013 |
| Circulation mintage | 2,990,000 |
| Composition | Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring |
| Weight | 12.0 g |
| Diameter | 28.4 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Lettered: WHAT IS A GUINEA? ‘TIS A SPLENDID THING (Stephen Kemble quotation) |
| Designer | Anthony Smith ARBS |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Other 2013 £2 coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 London Underground Train £2 Coin | 1,690,000 | Face value |
| 2013 London Underground Roundel £2 Coin | 1,560,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called a spade guinea?
The shield on guineas struck under George III from 1787 had a pointed base that looked like the blade of a garden spade. Collectors gave those coins the nickname. The 2013 £2 copies that distinctive shield shape.
What does the Guinea £2 edge quote mean?
WHAT IS A GUINEA? 'TIS A SPLENDID THING is a line from the actor Stephen Kemble. It captures how the guinea was seen for generations: a coin linked with wealth, quality and a touch of grandeur.
Mintage figures: Two pound coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.