A coin commemorating the Act of Union between England and Scotland was released by the Royal Mint in 2007. The Act of Union was an important moment in British history, and this £2 coin commemorates the 300th anniversary since that historic event. So how rare is this coin and what's it worth?
In this article we'll take a look at the history behind the coin, its design and compare it to other commemorative coins to see how rare it actually is.
History behind the coin
Following the passage of the Act of Union between England and Scotland in 1707, James I of England (formerly James VI of Scotland) assumed the throne of both nations.
The two nations made progress toward unification under a single ruler, albeit it would take another 100 years for them to do so. The coin commemorates the Act of Union's 300th anniversary.
The Tercentenary (300th anniversary) of the Act of Union between England and Scotland is commemorated by this circulating commemorative £2 coin.
Scotland's King James VI and England's King James I shared a single monarchy from 1603, when James VI of Scotland became James I of England.
There were numerous attempts to further the two nations' union throughout the seventeenth century, but it took more than a century for Scotland and England to fully join under one Parliament. In 1707, the Act of Union was enacted.
The 2007 £2, issued by the Royal Mint, have been in use for fifteen years.
Design of the coin
The Tercentenary of the Act of Union between England and Scotland is commemorated on the special two pound commemorative coin's reverse.
It has a jigsaw piece with a coin divided into four quarters on it. In order to give the impression that they were growing from a single stem, an English Tudor rose and a Scottish thistle were each positioned in two of the quarters.
The other two quarters each included a portcullis. Parliament is represented by the portcullis.
The design is by Yvonne Holton and is encircled by the dates 1707 and 2007 and the denomination of TWO POUNDS, with a linked jigsaw motif layered throughout. On the inside bottom edge of the thistle puzzle piece, near the middle of the coin, are her initials.
The words 'UNITED INTO ONE KINGDOM' are engraved around the coin's milled edge.
The Fourth Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II facing right, which was on the two pound coin from 1998 until 2015, is depicted on the coin's obverse. Her Majesty's grandmother, Queen Mary, gave her the diamond tiara known as the "Girls of Great Britain and Ireland" as a wedding present in 1947.
Just underneath her portrait, the artist Ian Rank-initials, Broadley's IRB, may be seen. Her illustrious ELIZABETH II DEI GRA REG FID DEF, which translates from Latin to mean Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith, surrounds her head all around the outer circle.
After the coin went decimal, this particular portrait was on the two pound coin from 1998 until 2015.
Mintage of the Coin
The Royal Mint's official mintage of this £2 commemorative coin is just over 7.5 million at 7,545,000. This is a comparatively high mintage and is similar to the 2006 Brunel Achievements £2 coin which has a mintage of 7,452,250.
For context, the mintage of some of the rarest £2 coins, such as the £2 Olympic Games Handover or the £2 Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland coins, is well below one million.
Other versions of the coin were issued including over 100,000 brilliant uncirculated versions, silver proof, silver piedfort and gold editions.
Scarcity of the coin
Two commemorative £2 coins were made available in 2007, with the 2007 Slave Trade £2 coming out in the same year. along with the Scouting commemorative 50p coin.
The Act of Union £2 has a high mintage and it is very likely you have received one of these coins in your change, so it is not considered to be a rare coin. The likelihood of receiving one in your change is about 1 in 100 of the £2 coins received.
The same year also had a standard technology £2 coin, with a mintage of 10,270,000.
How much is the Act of Union Two Pound coin worth?
The coin in common circulating condition is worth around £3.20 without shipping, so still more than face value and a coin to keep hold of as it is sure to increase in value.
Where can I buy the 2007 Act of Union £2 Coin?
You can obtain this coin from our site by purchasing it here.
You can also buy the circulated version of the Act of Union £2 coin online on auction sites such as eBay or Amazon but please ensure you look at all the information and reputation of the seller.
Unfortunately, as this coin is now over 15 years old, the Royal Mint no longer stock this coin so it is only available to buy on the secondary market.
Are there any known errors of this coin?
There is a very rare confirmed error by the Royal Mint in a few of the Act of Union £2 coins.
The error on the 2007 Act of Union coin edge reads AM I NOT A MAN AND A BROTHER, which was the incused inscription on the Slavery £2 coin.
The coin should have instead read 'UNITED INTO ONE KINGDOM.'
The mistake probably happened because the edge of the coins gets impressed before the reverse or obverse are struck.
There are some known fakes of this coin, first spotted in October 2016. The reverse of the fake coin is of good quality but the the obverse less so. The detail of the Queen is inaccurate and some of the dots around the rim are missing.
Bit of trivia...
For over a hundred years since the Union of the Crowns in 1603, when James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne from his cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, England and Scotland had been in personal union. The Acts of Union took effect on 1 May 1707.