The Trevithick £2 coin, often referred to as the ‘Invention Industry Progress’ £2 coin, has been in circulation for over 15 years – but how much is it worth today?
Expect to pay about £3.20 for a coin like this on eBay, according to the latest sold values in 2022, without postage and packaging.
Let’s dive into the specifications of the coin to see how rare it really is, and why it was minted in the first place.
Trevithick £2 Mintage And Rarity
The Trevithick two pound coin is a commemorative £2 coin that was released into circulation in 2004 with a mintage of 5,004,500.
There are an estimated 979,085 currently in active circulation. It is considered to be a common £2 coin and fairly easy to find even though it is also considered to be the fifteenth rarest £2 coin in circulation strictly by mintage.
There are a few other versions of the 2004 Trevithick £2 Coin including a Brilliant Uncirculated version, a Silver Proof version, a Silver Proof Piedfort version, and a Gold Proof version struck in 22-carat gold.
| Specification | Mintage |
| Brilliant Uncirculated | 50,000 |
| Silver Proof | 25,000 |
| Silver Proof Piedfort | 10,000 |
| Gold Proof | 1,500 |
The Design Of The 2004 Trevithick £2 Coin
The Trevithick £2 coin design commemorates the 200th anniversary of the first steam locomotive by Richard Trevithick making its first journey in South Wales at Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.
Robert Lowe designed the image to represent an early version of the Penydarren steam locomotive engine. The words TWO POUNDS are seen just above the locomotive engine inside the surrounding cogwheel. On the outer rim are the words R. TREVITHICK 1804 INVENTION INDUSTRY PROGRESS 2004 as the circumscription.
The milled edge does not have a typical text inscription like other two pound coins. Instead, it has an incuse railway line motif stamped into the milled edge.
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.
After 2015 there were only a few commemorative £2 coins including the Shakespeare coins released in 2016 alongside the Britannia £2, and since then no more £2 coins have been issued.
On the two pound coin, the Queen is wearing the “Girls of Great Britain and Ireland” diamond tiara. The tiara had been a wedding gift, in 1947, from Her Majesty’s grandmother,
Queen Mary. The initials IRB are seen just below her portrait which stands for the artist Ian Rank-Broadley. 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.
Is There A Trevithick £2 Coin Error?
There are no confirmed errors of the Trevithick £2 coin.
Keep an eye out for listings that list a so-called error version of the coin, as they are false and simply trying to make a profit.
What Does The 2004 Trevithick £2 Coin Represent?
The Industrial Revolution was a time when countries like Britain progressed rapidly. The development of steam played a very important role in this transition.
Steam-powered engines had been used from the early eighteenth century, but they were quite often too big and unreliable machines that were fixed in one position to perform specific tasks. That is until one day when a very special inventor came along by the name of Richard Trevithick.
In 1802, a Cornish inventor and mining engineer invented the world’s very first steam locomotive. It was called the Coalbrookdale Locomotive since it was made for the Coalbrookdale ironworks in Shropshire. It would be another two years before Trevithick would make a name for himself to go down in the history books.
A British industrialist, Samuel Homfray, commissioned Trevithick at his Penydarren Ironworks to build a steam engine to drive a hammer. Trevithick quickly impressed Homfray with his designs.
So much so that Homfray made a bet with an iron merchant in South Wales named Richard Crawshay. He bet that Trevithick’s steam engine could move 10 tons of iron from Penydarren to Abercynon which was a 9.75-mile trip.
On February 21, 1804, Trevithick’s steam locomotive was successful in moving 11.24 tons of coal with 70 men. It took just over four hours to do so with a final official time of 4 hours and 5 minutes.
Trevithick, who lived from 1771 to 1833, revolutionized steam power by creating the first steam-driven locomotive engine.
The very first steam-powered vehicle had been driven on a rail. 200 years later, the Royal Mint would fashion a coin in his honour to celebrate his contribution to progress from mostly agrarian to a much more urban transition.
Trevithick’s engine was credited with being the first true locomotive. He was a true pioneer of steam-powered road and rail transportation.
Where Can You Buy The Coin?
Going online and searching on eBay is a fast way to find coins to add to your collection. Of course, be sure you do your research, so you are certain what you are wanting is exactly what you are buying. The average selling price for the 2004 Trevithick two pound coin on eBay.co.uk is £3.16.
The Royal Mint has a selection of uncirculated £2 coins on offer if you are interested in collecting those types of coins.