1998 Bronze 2p Coin
The 1998 Bronze 2p is a 2p coin struck for circulation with 98.7 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1998
- Circulation mintage
- 98,676,000
- Value band
- Face value
- 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 1998 Bronze 2p worth?
98.7 million were made, so the 1998 Bronze 2p 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:
- 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 1998 Bronze 2p rare?
- No. 98.7 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 1998 Bronze 2p coins were made?
- 98,676,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1998 Bronze 2p made of?
- Bronze (97% copper, 2.5% zinc, 0.5% tin). It weighs 7.12 g and measures 25.9 mm.
- Is the 1998 Bronze 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 1998 2p coin in context
Six years after the 2p moved to steel, bronze made a surprise return. Some 2p coins dated 1998 were struck in bronze alongside the steel ones, so the date exists in both metals just like 1992. The data records 98,676,000 bronze coins and 115,154,000 steel coins for 1998, so the bronze version is the smaller of the two but still common.
1998 was also the first year of Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait, the fourth used on British coins in Elizabeth II's reign. So the bronze 1998 2p pairs the newest portrait with the original decimal metal. It is the last bronze 2p made for circulation, which gives it a natural place as the closing date of a bronze collection. Most people never notice the difference, because a bronze and a steel 1998 2p look much the same once they have spent a few years in circulation. Only a magnet gives the game away. That is part of the fun: a simple test at home can turn up a variety that most people walk past.
How to recognize it
Rank-Broadley's portrait shows the Queen wearing a tiara, with a more mature face than earlier portraits and his initials IRB under the bust. The reverse keeps Christopher Ironside's Prince of Wales's feathers with TWO PENCE above and the numeral 2 below. The coin is bronze, 25.9 mm across and 7.12 g with a plain edge. It looks the same as the steel 1998 coin at a glance, so the magnet is the only quick test. Given time, bronze settles into an even chocolate brown, which can help you pick out likely candidates before you test them. Its edge is plain.
The other side carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1998 to 2015.
1998 Bronze 2p by the numbers
By the numbers, the 1998 Bronze 2p ranks 7th lowest of 45 2p dates and varieties from 1971 to 2021. The next scarcer is the 1991 2p (86.6 million); the next more common is the 2010 2p (99.6 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1971 2p with 1.45 billion, about 15 times as many. The scarcest is the 2008 Old Reverse 2p with 10.6 million, 9.3 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1998 output was 5 times fewer than 1997 and 3.6 times fewer than 1999. Other 1998 2p coins: 1998 Copper-Plated Steel 2p (115.2 million).
Over the 1990s the Mint produced 2.65 billion 2p coins across 12 dates and varieties; the 1998 Bronze 2p accounts for 3.7% of that.
What to check on your 1998 Bronze 2p
- Confirm the date and the variety (bronze). Most dates are common, so the date and any variety decide whether a coin is worth setting aside.
- Try a magnet: bronze 2p coins do not stick to it. A 1998 coin that sticks is the copper-plated steel version.
- 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.
Worn bronze 1998 2p coins are face value. Collectors who build sets by metal and date want one beside the steel 1998. Bright uncirculated examples can carry a small premium. A magnet sorts them in seconds, so it is an easy variety to add to a collection without spending anything beyond face value. Keep the bronze and steel coins labeled, since they are hard to tell apart once mixed. Bronze coins also need to be kept away from damp, which can cause green spots.
Copper-plated steel 2p with the feathers (1992 to 2007)
In 1992 the 2p followed the penny into copper-plated steel. Bronze had become a costly material for a coin of such low value, so the Royal Mint switched to a steel core with a copper skin. The 1992 2p exists in both metals, but the bronze version was made only for that year's Royal Mint sets; the coins struck for change were steel. The new coins kept the 25.9 mm diameter and 7.12 g weight, so machines and counting scales were not affected. The one obvious difference is that steel coins are magnetic.
The switch was not a clean break. In 1998 the 2p was struck in bronze as well as steel, giving collectors a second date to check with a magnet. That year also brought Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait, replacing Raphael Maklouf's, which had been used since 1985. Ironside's feathers and the TWO PENCE wording continued throughout. Output climbed to 536,659,000 in 2000 and to 551,880,000 in 2001, the highest 2p figures of any dates apart from 1971.
Most 2p coins of this period are steel and face value when worn. Two dates deserve a magnet test: 1992 and 1998. Steel coins also show their age in their own way, with rust spots, pink scratches where the plating is cut and flaking on badly stored pieces. Those are damage, not errors. They lower a coin's appeal. Collectors look for bright coins with full feather detail, or uncirculated examples from Royal Mint sets.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 1998 |
| Circulation mintage | 98,676,000 |
| Composition | Bronze (97% copper, 2.5% zinc, 0.5% tin) |
| Weight | 7.12 g |
| Diameter | 25.9 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Other 1998 2p coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 Copper-Plated Steel 2p Coin | 115,154,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Why are some 1998 2p coins not magnetic?
Some 2p coins dated 1998 were struck in bronze instead of copper-plated steel. The data lists 98,676,000 bronze coins and 115,154,000 steel coins for the year. The bronze ones do not respond to a magnet at all.
Is the bronze 1998 2p an error?
No. It is a recognized version of the date with its own recorded mintage, not a mistake on a single coin. Both metals are normal. Worn examples are face value and only bright uncirculated pieces carry a small premium.
Mintage figures: Two pence (British decimal coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.