2017 Jane Austen £2 Coin
The 2017 Jane Austen £2 is a Royal Mint collector issue that was never released into circulation. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2017
- Issued as
- Collector packs and sets only
- Value band
- Small premium
- Designer
- Dominique Evans
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 2017 Jane Austen £2 worth?
This design was never released into circulation. The Royal Mint sold it in brilliant uncirculated packs and annual sets, so almost every example is a collector piece. One found in change is still legal tender at 2 pounds; out of its pack it brings a small premium at most, while a coin still sealed in its original packaging is what collectors want.
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 2017 Jane Austen £2 rare?
- It is scarcer than most £2 coins. It was never issued into circulation, so most examples are in collector packs.
- How many 2017 Jane Austen £2 coins were made?
- None were made for circulation. The Mint sold this design only in packs and sets.
- Who designed the 2017 Jane Austen £2?
- The design is credited to Dominique Evans.
- What is the 2017 Jane Austen £2 made of?
- Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring. It weighs 12.0 g and measures 28.4 mm.
- Is the 2017 Jane Austen £2 still legal tender?
- Yes. Every two-metal £2 coin, commemoratives included, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2017 Jane Austen £2 was made
Jane Austen died in Winchester in July 1817 at the age of 41. In a short writing life she produced six novels, from Sense and Sensibility to Persuasion. Two of them, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, only reached print after her death. Two hundred years later her books still sell steadily, still get adapted for screen and still get argued over in book clubs. The Royal Mint marked the bicentenary of her death with this two-pound coin in 2017 at a time when her reputation had never been higher.
Here's the part that matters if you found one. The Austen £2 was never released into circulation. The Royal Mint sold it as a brilliant uncirculated coin in a presentation pack and included it in the 2017 annual coin sets, so the only route into your change is a collector who opened a pack and spent the coin. That happens more often than you'd think. Whatever its route, it remains legal tender with a face value of two pounds, so a shop or bank can take it like any other £2.
How to recognize it
The reverse shows a silhouette of Jane Austen's head in profile, with her handwritten signature laid over it. The silhouette style nods to the cut paper portraits that were fashionable in her lifetime. The design is the work of Dominique Evans. Turn the coin and read the edge: it should say THERE IS NO DOING WITHOUT MONEY, a sentiment in keeping with her sharp eye for money and marriage. It's a neat joke on a coin and a useful check, because no other £2 carries those words. The obverse has the Jody Clark portrait of Queen Elizabeth II used on 2017 coins. If the edge carries a different quote, or none at all, you're holding something else.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2017 Jane Austen £2 by the numbers
No circulation mintage exists for the 2017 Jane Austen £2 because none were released to banks. The Royal Mint's other collector-only £2 coins dated 2017 were First World War Aviation.
No commemorative £2 dated 2017 was released for circulation, which is why so many people hunting change for new designs never see this one.
What to check on your 2017 Jane Austen £2
- Read the edge. It should say THERE IS NO DOING WITHOUT MONEY (quote from Northanger Abbey). 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.
Because there's no circulation mintage at all, a worn Austen £2 is scarcer in change than almost any £2 the Royal Mint sent to banks. That said, scarce in change isn't the same as rare: plenty sit safely in their packs. A pack coin still in its card with crisp, unmarked surfaces draws a collector premium over face value, while a spent one with scuffs on the rim usually brings a small premium at best. To check yours is genuine, look for a gold-colored nickel-brass ring gripping a silver-colored cupronickel center with no visible gap, sharp lettering on the edge and a weight of 12 grams.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 pounds |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2017 |
| Circulation mintage | None (collector issue) |
| Composition | Bimetallic: cupronickel center in a nickel-brass outer ring |
| Weight | 12.0 g |
| Diameter | 28.4 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Lettered: THERE IS NO DOING WITHOUT MONEY (quote from Northanger Abbey) |
| Designer | Dominique Evans |
| Portrait | Clark |
Other 2017 £2 coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 First World War Aviation £2 Coin | Collector issue | Small premium |
Frequently asked questions
Did the Jane Austen £2 coin go into circulation?
No. It was only sold by the Royal Mint in brilliant uncirculated packs and in the 2017 annual sets. Any example you find in your change was taken out of a pack and spent by someone, though it can still be used at face value.
What does the edge of the Jane Austen £2 say?
The edge reads THERE IS NO DOING WITHOUT MONEY, a sentiment that runs through her novels. It's a fitting choice for a coin and it's the quickest way to confirm the design, since no other £2 uses this inscription.
Mintage figures: Two pound coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.