1972 2p Coin
The 1972 2p 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
- 1972
- Issued as
- Collector packs and sets only
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- Bronze (97% copper, 2.5% zinc, 0.5% tin)
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 1972 2p worth?
No 1972 2p coin was issued for circulation: the Royal Mint struck that date only for its annual collector sets. A set coin that was spent can turn up in change, which is why 1972 is a date collectors look for. Expect a small premium, more for coins still in the original set.
What would make yours worth more:
- Full original color
- A coin from a sets-only year
- A recognized variety or genuine error such as the 1983 NEW PENCE mule
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1972 2p rare?
- It is scarcer than most 2p coins. It was never issued into circulation, so most examples are in collector packs.
- How many 1972 2p coins were made?
- None were made for circulation. The Mint sold this design only in packs and sets.
- What is the 1972 2p made of?
- Bronze (97% copper, 2.5% zinc, 0.5% tin). It weighs 7.12 g and measures 25.9 mm.
- Is the 1972 2p still legal tender?
- Yes. The 2p is legal tender, though 1p and 2p coins together only have to be accepted for payments up to 20p.
The 1972 2p coin in context
Look for a 1972 2p in your change and you will almost certainly come up empty. After the vast 1971 run, the Royal Mint made no 2p coins for circulation in 1972, 1973 or 1974. Those dates were struck only for Royal Mint sets sold to collectors. The 1972 coin is the first of the three and the first sets-only 2p of the decimal era. The penny of 1972 was also made only for sets, so it was the first year in which neither the penny nor the 2p was struck for change.
The data gives no separate figure for the 1972 2p, only that it was issued in sets. That is the honest position. A 1972 2p is uncommon in change because it was never meant to be there, not because of an error or a recall. Any example you find loose almost certainly came from a set that someone opened and spent. The same story repeats for 1973 and 1974, so the three dates are often collected together as a group.
How to recognize it
Apart from the date, the 1972 2p matches the 1971 coin. Christopher Ironside's Prince of Wales's feathers with ICH DIEN, NEW PENCE above and the numeral 2 below fill the reverse. Arnold Machin's portrait of the Queen in a tiara is on the obverse with ELIZABETH II D G REG F D and 1972. The coin is bronze, 25.9 mm and 7.12 g, with a plain edge. Set coins were struck with extra care from polished dies, so a genuine set coin has much sharper feathers and brighter fields than a 1971 coin that has been through a few million pockets.
The other side carries Arnold Machin's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used on UK coins from 1968 to 1984.
1972 2p by the numbers
No 1972 2p coins were struck for circulation, so none were paid out by banks. For comparison, nearby circulation dates were 1971 2p (1.45 billion) and 1975 2p (145.5 million).
What to check on your 1972 2p
- Confirm the date. 1972 2p coins came only from collector sets, so a genuine one is often in very good condition.
- Try a magnet: bronze 2p coins do not stick to it. A coin that sticks is copper-plated steel from 1992 or later, so read the date again.
- Look at the surfaces under a light. Coins from sets have unbroken luster and color; change-worn coins are dull and scuffed.
- Never clean it. Rubbing or dipping strips the original color and leaves fine scratches.
Most 1972 2p coins remain in their sets, so the usual route is to buy the whole set. A loose coin in good order carries a small premium; one that has been spent and worn is mainly a curiosity. Because the coin only came from sets, a 1972 2p found in change is still worth keeping as an unusual find. Hold set coins by the rim, since fingerprints leave marks on polished surfaces that cannot be removed. A set in its original case is the neatest way to own one.
Bronze NEW PENCE 2p with the Machin portrait (1971 to 1981)
The 2p was one of three bronze coins released on Decimal Day, 15 February 1971, alongside the half penny and the penny. It was the largest and most valuable of the three, worth 4.8 old pence. Its reverse reads NEW PENCE, the plural chosen because the coin was worth two of the new pennies, with a large numeral 2 below the design. The word NEW was there to stop people confusing decimal money with the pennies and pence they had used all their lives.
Christopher Ironside's reverse shows the badge of the Prince of Wales: three ostrich feathers rising through a coronet, with the motto ICH DIEN on a ribbon. The motto is German for "I serve". Arnold Machin's portrait of the Queen in a tiara is on the obverse with ELIZABETH II D G REG F D and the date. The coin is bronze, an alloy of 97 percent copper, 2.5 percent zinc and 0.5 percent tin. It measures 25.9 mm across, weighs 7.12 g and has a plain edge. That weight is exactly twice the penny's.
The huge 1971 run of 1,454,856,250 coins meant the Royal Mint struck no 2p pieces for circulation dated 1972, 1973 or 1974. Those three dates come only from sets. Circulation production returned in 1975 and stayed in the hundreds of millions most years up to 1981. Worn coins from this period are face value. What collectors look for are the sets-only dates and coins with bright original color and sharp feather detail. A magnet should have no effect on any of them.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 1972 |
| Circulation mintage | None (collector issue) |
| Composition | Bronze (97% copper, 2.5% zinc, 0.5% tin) |
| Weight | 7.12 g |
| Diameter | 25.9 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
| Portrait | Machin |
Frequently asked questions
Were any 1972 2p coins made for circulation?
No. The 1972 2p was issued only in Royal Mint sets. The huge 1971 mintage covered demand, so a 1972 2p in your pocket almost certainly came from a set that someone broke open and spent.
How do you tell a set coin from a circulated one?
A set coin has sharp feathers, crisp lettering and bright, unmarked surfaces. A coin that has been spent shows rubbed high points, bag marks and dull brown toning. Even a worn 1972 2p is worth keeping, but condition decides any premium.
Mintage figures: Two pence (British decimal coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.