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£2 Coins » 2002 Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland £2 Coin

Two pound coin struck to celebrate Team Northern Ireland at the seventeenth (XVII) Commonwealth Games in 2002 hosted by the city of Manchester
2002 £2 Coin Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland

Coin Rarity / Mintage

Circulation Mintage: 485,500
BU Mintage: 18,812

The Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland £2 Coin can be found in your change: 485,500 coins dated 2002 were struck to enter circulation.

This two pound coin was available to purchase in Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) quality from release date: 09 July 2001.

Coin Value - How much is my Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland £2 coin worth?

CIRC
£32
BU
£80

The circulation (CIRC) £2 is worth £32. The Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland £2 Coin was available from £14.95 on issue, in as new condition this BU £2 coin is worth about £80.

There are 37 UK £2 coin designs that can be found in your change - find out which £2 coins are the most valuable?

Close up of Northern Ireland flag on the Commonwealth Games £2 coin
Close up of Northern Ireland flag on the Commonwealth Games £2 coin

In 2002, the Commonwealth Games were hosted by Manchester; key events were held at the newly-built City of Manchester Stadium. 72 nations took part in the 281 events across 17 sports, with Australia becoming the overall winner, England finished second.

There are four variations of the Commonwealth Games £2 coin. All show a person carrying/running with a banner. To the left of the person is a circle which contains a different flag for each region of the UK – England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. This design by Matthew Bonaccorsi is highly collectable due to the rarity. The obverse shows the 4th portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley.

Each variation had a mintage of less than 1 million, and over time, many of these will have been removed from circulation, making them some of the rarest two pound coins in circulation and highly sought after.

485,500 of the Northern Ireland flag design were released, making it the rarest £2 coin in circulation, but it can look very similar to the English flag coin, so make sure to check carefully.

Northern Ireland finished 17th in the final 2002 Commonwealth Games medal table with 2 gold medals.

2002 Commonwealth Games £2 Coin
2002 Commonwealth Games £2 Coin
Coin Reverse (tails side)

The stylised figure of an athlete holding a banner, with, in front, the inscription "XVII COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2002" and the value "£2" and, behind, a circular cartouche containing a flag representing Northern Ireland

Design by: Matthew Bonaccorsi

Coin Obverse (heads side)

4th portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS with the inscription "ELIZABETH • II • DEI • GRA • REG • FID • DEF •".

Coin Edge

The 2.5mm milled edge is inscribed with the text "SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP,MANCHESTER 2002".

Coin Specification

Denomination: £2
Alloy: Cupronickel (inner) Nickel-Brass (outer)
Weight: 12g
Diameter: 28.4mm
Quality: CIRC / BU
Year: 2002

Coin condition and quality

The value of a coin is always related to the condition. A Commonwealth Games - Northern Ireland £2 Coin in good circulated condition (A few small contact marks on the coin, but retains some original shine and most of the original design detail.) is more desirable to a collector than a worn down battered coin.

Prices shown on this page relate to coins created for circulation (CIRC) and coins available to buy in Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) quality. These are coins produced to a higher standard that show more detail and have none of the marks and scratches that will be seen on all circulation quality coins.

Some coins made for circulation remain "Uncirculated" as they have been kept in or taken from the original sealed coin bag they were packed in after being sent out from The Royal Mint. These are still circulation quality coins - but may keep more of the orginal shine and have a few less contact marks.

Coins not in sealed bags or held in a collection out of the 485,500 coins struck, will now have been in circulation for 22 years.