The British Two Pound (£2) coin is the largest circulating coin denomination of the Pound Sterling. The first bimetallic coins of this value were introduced on 15 June 1998 (coins minted and dated 1997) after a review of the United Kingdom's coinage decided that a general-circulation £2 coin was needed. The new type of coin replaced a series of commemorative, uni-metallic coins which were issued between 1986 and 1996 to celebrate special occasions but had never been common in everyday circulation.
The Royal Mint maintains a "definitive" style of the £2 issued annually, as well as a large variety of one-year circulating commemorative types and some Non-Circulating Legal Tender (NCLT) £2 coins for collectors. Between 1997 and 2015, the definitive type was the Technology type £2. In 2015, the Britannia type two pounds coin was launched and became the definitive type of the denomination. |