2015 Clark Portrait 2p Coin
The 2015 Clark Portrait 2p is a 2p coin struck for circulation with 139.2 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2015
- Circulation mintage
- 139,200,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Composition
- Copper-plated steel
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 2015 Clark Portrait 2p worth?
139.2 million were made, so the 2015 Clark Portrait 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 2015 Clark Portrait 2p rare?
- No. 139.2 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2015 Clark Portrait 2p coins were made?
- 139,200,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2015 Clark Portrait 2p made of?
- Copper-plated steel. It weighs 7.12 g and measures 25.9 mm.
- Is the 2015 Clark Portrait 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 2015 2p coin in context
Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II made its debut on British coins in 2015. Clark was an engraver at the Royal Mint and his design became the fifth portrait of the Queen used on her coins, following Mary Gillick, Arnold Machin, Raphael Maklouf and Ian Rank-Broadley. The 2015 2p with his portrait was struck in larger numbers than the Rank-Broadley version: 139,200,000 against 85,900,000.
The Clark portrait went on to appear on every later Elizabeth II 2p. Output dropped to 16,600,000 in 2017 and stopped altogether for circulation between 2018 and 2020, so the 2015 coin belongs to the last stretch when 2p coins were made in large numbers year after year. The 2016 figure of 185,600,000 was the high point of the Clark 2p dates. Looking back, the Clark 2p of 2015 sits at the start of a period when cash use was changing fast. Fewer coins were needed each year and the gaps between big production runs grew longer. That gives the early Clark dates a quiet place in the coin's history.
How to recognize it
Clark's portrait shows the Queen wearing the George IV State Diadem, the same diadem seen on British postage stamps for decades. His initials JC appear below the neck. The reverse is Matthew Dent's shield section with TWO PENCE. The coin is copper-plated steel, 25.9 mm and 7.12 g with a plain edge. Next to a Rank-Broadley coin, the Clark portrait looks older and more lifelike, with clearer detail in the crosses and flowers of the diadem. The diadem's band of crosses and flowers shows best on a coin with little wear, so look for sharp detail there. Clark's portrait would appear on 2p coins dated 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2021 for circulation. It was the last portrait of the Queen used on her coins.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2015 Clark Portrait 2p by the numbers
By the numbers, the 2015 Clark Portrait 2p ranks 15th lowest of 45 2p dates and varieties from 1971 to 2021. The next scarcer is the 1995 2p (124.5 million); the next more common is the 2011 2p (144.3 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1971 2p with 1.45 billion, about 10 times as many. The scarcest is the 2008 Old Reverse 2p with 10.6 million, 13 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 2015 output was 1.8 times fewer than 2014 and 1.3 times fewer than 2016. Other 2015 2p coins: 2015 Rank-Broadley Portrait 2p (85.9 million).
Over the 2010s the Mint produced 1.03 billion 2p coins across 11 dates and varieties; the 2015 Clark Portrait 2p accounts for 14% of that.
What to check on your 2015 Clark Portrait 2p
- Confirm the date and the variety (clark portrait). Most dates are common, so the date and any variety decide whether a coin is worth setting aside.
- Try a magnet: 2015 2p coins are copper-plated steel and stick to it. A 2015 coin that does not stick is worth a closer look.
- 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.
A 2015 Clark 2p from change is face value. Its interest is as the first Clark date and as half of the 2015 portrait pair. Bright examples are easy to find in Royal Mint sets of the year and turn up in change too. Collectors who sort by portrait as well as date should keep the best one they come across. Look for full detail in the diadem and no spots on the plating. Coins from change can also look good if they are bright.
Royal Shield 2p (2008 to 2021)
Matthew Dent's shield designs replaced Ironside's in 2008. The 2p shows its own section of the Royal Arms shield with TWO PENCE, joining the other five coins from 1p to 50p to make the full shield when they are placed together. The old feathers design was also struck with the 2008 date, but only 10,600,000 carry it, a small fraction of the 241,679,000 shield coins of the same year.
Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait stayed until 2015, when Jody Clark's portrait arrived and both versions were struck that year. Output drifted down through the 2010s, hitting 40,600,000 in 2013 and just 16,600,000 in 2017. None were struck for circulation in 2018, 2019 or 2020. Production for change resumed with 117,700,000 coins in 2021. Under King Charles III a new 2p with a red squirrel was introduced, though it falls outside this run of Elizabeth II dates.
This is the period with the most interesting modern 2p coins. The 2008 feathers coin, the 2017 date and the 2015 Rank-Broadley version are all worth looking for, along with the years when none were made for change. Every coin here is copper-plated steel, 25.9 mm and 7.12 g with a plain edge. Most are face value. The quickest checks are the reverse on a 2008 coin and the initials under the bust on a 2015 coin.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2015 |
| Circulation mintage | 139,200,000 |
| Composition | Copper-plated steel |
| Weight | 7.12 g |
| Diameter | 25.9 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
| Portrait | Clark |
Other 2015 2p coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 Rank-Broadley Portrait 2p Coin | 85,900,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the portrait on the 2015 2p?
If the initials under the bust read JC, the portrait is by Jody Clark, a Royal Mint engraver. It was introduced in 2015 and became the fifth and final portrait of Queen Elizabeth II used on her coins.
How many 2015 2p coins with the new portrait were made?
The figure for the Clark portrait is 139,200,000, compared with 85,900,000 for the Rank-Broadley version. Both are common, but the Clark coin is the one you are more likely to find in change.
Mintage figures: Two pence (British decimal coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.