The Mary Rose £2 coin features an iconic design and has been in circulation for just over 10 years now, but how much is the coin worth and is it even rare?
According to the most recent values in 2022, the Mary Rose £2 coin is worth around £4.99 on eBay without postage and packaging in circulated condition.
Mary Rose £2 Mintage
The Mary Rose £2 has a very small mintage of just 1,040,000, which is quite small for £2 coins. For some context, the smallest mintage of any circulating £2 coin is just 485,500 – just under half of this coin.
As per usual, the Royal Mint also issued the coin in uncirculated versions for collectors for which the mintage figures can be seen below:
- Uncirculated in presentation folder – 25,000
- Silver Proof – 20,000
- Silver Piedfort Proof – 4,000
- Gold Proof – 1,000
You can find examples of uncirculated versions on eBay as well, but the price varies greatly for these versions so it is hard to give any estimates.
Is The Mary Rose £2 Coin Rare?
In terms of rarity, the Mary Rose £2 is considered to be one of the rarest £2 coins in circulation due to its low mintage.
This is reflected in the average sale price of almost £5, and if you are lucky enough to find one of these coins you will have no problems selling it.
There are very few £2 coins with smaller mintages – some of which include the King James Bible £2 which was minted in the same year, and the Olympic Games Handover £2 which was released the following year.
Design Of The Coin
The reverse of the special commemorative Mary Rose Two-Pound round coin features a design that was to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the warship Mary Rose.
It features an image of Henry VIII’s flagship, sailing right with proud masts and waving flags. It has a legend around it on the outer rim of the coin.
The lettering on the legend reads THE MARY ROSE TWO POUNDS. In between the words and coin’s TWO POUNDS marking are two designs that elegantly use the Tudor rose as an accent.
The image chosen for the coin was based on a 1546 pictorial survey of Henry VIII’s navy. The original painting that inspired the coin was done by Anthony Roll. The special coin’s designer, John Bergdahl, had found inspiration in the painting when he visited the Mary Rose museum. It shows a side view of the Mary Rose at sea with its masts and flags flying in the wind.
The initials JB are also present on the coin which stand for the engraver, John Bergdahl. Find them toward the bottom left of the ship.
Around the milled edge are incuse lettering that read YOUR NOBLEST SHIPPE 1511
The obverse of the coin features the Fourth Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II facing right that appeared on the Two-Pound coin from 1998 to 2015. She is wearing the “Girls of Great Britain and Ireland” diamond tiara. The infamous tiara was a wedding gift from Her Majesty’s grandmother, Queen Mary, in 1947.
The initials IRB are present just beneath her portrait which stand for the artist Ian Rank-Broadley. Also below her head on the outer ring, centred on the bottom is the date 2011.
Surrounding her head all around the outer circle is her legendary 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.
Are There Any Error Versions?
With just about any coin in circulation there will be rumours of error versions circulating online, and it is no different with this coin either.
We can confirm that there are no error versions confirmed by the Royal Mint for this coin, so keep an eye out for scammers who will try to advertise their coins as such.
What Was The Mary Rose Ship?
The Mary Rose was a large ship with several masts known as a carrack-type warship. It was built during the reign of King Henry VIII for the English Tudor navy. The ship was built to be able to get up close to enemy ships, fire, and allow soldiers to board.
It launched from its homeport of Portsmouth on its Maiden Voyage in July 1511 and served for 33 years during several wars against Scotland, France, and Brittany.
There is no official recording as to why the ship was named the Mary Rose. Some think that the ship’s name is thought to be inspired by Henry VIII’s beloved sister Mary Tudor.
The rose was the emblem of the Tudors. Most likely, however, it was reflective of the Virgin Mary and the mystic rose.
The ship successfully sailed in campaigns against France. But, the third attempt would prove too much. She finally saw her last action on July 19, 1545.
While leading an attack on a French invasion fleet, during the Battle of the Solent in the English Channel, the ship sank in the Solent, the straits north of the Isle of Wight. At the time it sank, the captain of the Mary Rose was Roger Grenville. There were only about 34 survivors out of 200 sailors, 185 soldiers, and 30 gunners on board at the time.
Where Can You Buy The 2011 Mary Rose £2 Coin?
For circulated versions eBay is the easiest place to shop, just make sure to buy from a reputable seller at a fair price.
For uncirculated versions such as silver and gold proof, the Royal Mint’s official website is a good starting place to see if they have any in stock. Failing that, other retailers such as Bullion By Post are good options.