If there was an award for a £2 coin that is called the wrong name the most times then the 2005 World War Two £2 coin might take the title. Often referred to as the St. Pauls £2 coin or even the Hitler £2 coin, this coin has been in circulation for over 15 years now – but how much is it worth?
According to the latest values on eBay in 2022, the 2005 World War Two £2 coin is worth £3.04 in circulated condition.
If you want to learn more about this coin, including the origins of its nicknames and what other versions are available (and more valuable), then keep reading.
Is The 2005 World War Two £2 Coin Rare?
The coin is not rare at all as it had a mintage of 10,191,000 – which is considered to be a very large amount for any circulating commemorative coin.
For some context, the rarest £2 coin in circulation had a mintage of just 485,500 and has an average selling price of around £36. If you compare this to the 2005 World War Two £2 coin, with an average selling price of £3.04, it is easy to see the difference.
2005 also saw the introduction of the Gunpowder Plot £2 with a mintage of 5,140,500, alongside the regular technology £2 that was issued from 1997 to 2015.
Other Versions Of The Coin
While the regular issue of the coin is not particularly rare, the Royal Mint did produce uncirculated versions for collectors that are substantially more valuable.
You can find a summary of all of these coins below, alongside estimated values taken from prices on various online coin dealership websites.
The Design Of The 2005 World War Two £2 Coin
The reverse design of the 2005 World War Two £2 coin was created by Robert Elderton.
Robert Elderton joined the Royal Mint as an apprentice engraver in 1964 while he was still studying at Central School of Art and then London’s Sir John Cass School of Arts and Crafts until the summer of 1971. He designed numerous coins and medals while at the Royal Mint until 2002.
For this coin, he depicted the front of St. Paul’s cathedral presented in full floodlights searchlights with the denomination TWO POUNDS and the dates 1945-2005. This is the reason why this commonly referred to as the ‘St. Pauls £2 coin’, and those familiar with coin collecting will know that St. Pauls has also been commemorated on a highly popular 50p coin.
The floodlights contrast the many days of blackouts and also represent the searchlights that were used to defend London against the German’s airstrikes. The searchlights are in the shape of a “V” to signify Victory.
The milled edge inscription reads IN VICTORY MAGNANIMITY IN PEACE GOODWILL.
The obverse of the coin features the Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II facing to the right. This specific portrait was on the two pound coin from 1998 to 2015 after the coin went decimal.
On her head is the “Girls of Great Britain and Ireland” diamond tiara. The tiara was a wedding gift from Her Majesty’s grandmother, Queen Mary, in 1947.
The initials IRB are seen just underneath her head. They represent the initials of the obverse designer Ian Rank-Broadley. All around the outer circle reads the iconic words, 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.
End Of World War 2 Celebration
The war was finally over, and a lot of impromptu celebrations took place all across the country.
The Germans had made several attempts to destroy London, but St. Paul’s Cathedral and its spectacularly detailed architecture of Christopher Wren managed to survive the firebomb attacks with the dome in place while the rest of London seemed to be ablaze.
The Times described it as seeming to “ride the sea of fire like a great ship”.
The cathedral became known as a symbol of hope to Britain. After years of blackouts, the coin’s image would present the cathedral lit up in floodlights.
On May 8, 1945, Winston Churchill announced Victory in Europe, with VE Day marking the end of World War II which followed Germany’s surrender about a week after Adolf Hitler had committed suicide on April 30 during the Battle of Berlin. This would be the end of the Nazi War Machine.
Churchill would be heard to say in his celebratory speech in Whitehall, “God bless you all. This is your victory. In our long history, we have never seen a greater day than this.”
As they celebrated, however, Churchill pointed out that the war against Japan was still going on but wanted to allow a brief period of rejoicing. The good news did come, however, once again. Following VE Day, a little more than 3 months after Germany surrendered to end hostilities in Europe, on August 14, 1945, British Prime Minister Clement Attle announced that Japan had conceded defeat.
After almost six years of wars, would be peace again.
To this day, Victory in Europe VE Day is celebrated. It marked the end of World War II in Europe and is also called Victory Over Fascism Day, Liberation Day, or Victory Day.
Are There Any Error Versions?
There are a lot of myths about errors and the 2005 World War Two £2 coin is not immune to these.
There are no confirmed errors for the coin, although you may see quite a few listings stating that the coin they are offering has an error. These include the edge inscription being upside down, as well as missing or misaligned dots on the obverse side of the coin.
Neither of these are confirmed errors and you should ignore anybody who tries to sell their coin as such. The Royal Mint has even released a statement about the edge inscription appearing upside down; and the issues with the dots is common amongst most £2 coins issued before 2015 and is therefore considered to be an error.
