Charles Dickens 2 Pound Coin

Introducing the Charles Dickens 2 Pound Coin

Released in 2012, the Royal Mint announced the Charles Dickens two pound coin in honour of the author’s 200^th birthday. Charles Dickens was born on 7 February 1812 in Landport, the second of eight children. His first published work was the short story “A Dinner at Poplar Walk” in Monthly Magazine in December 1833. Still working as a newspaper reporter, Dickens would eventually become a novelist, creating such famous works as Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, and A Christmas Carol. Dickens was also known by the pseudonym Boz, with two collections of essays attributed to his alter ego. 

Charles Dickens 2012 £2

The Charles Dickens 2 pound coin is designed by Matthew Dent and features a silhouette profile of the author created by the titles of his prolific works. Dickens’ year of birth, 1812, and year of death, 1870, is also inscribed around his name. One of his most famous titles, David Copperfield, is memorialized as the coin’s edge inscription. It is the optimistic line said by the character Wilkins Micawber: “something will turn up.”  

Matthew Dent described his inspiration for the unique design. ““I wanted the design of the coin to reference both the immense contribution Dickens has made to British literature and his iconic portrait. The visual reference for the portrait was based on a bust of a bearded Dickens which is part of the collection of the Charles Dickens Museum in London. The typography, that takes portrait form, uses several different typefaces; from ones that would have existed during his lifetime, to ones that were designed since his death, symbolic of the enduring popularity of his work.”

(Caption: Charles Dickens Photo by Jeremiah Gurney)

How Much is the Charles Dickens 2 Pound Coin Worth?

The Charles Dickens coin has a mintage of 8.19 million, making it a fairly common find. However, there has been some excitement over the discovery of three so-called ‘minting errors’. These are not minting errors, only small variations from the production process that make your coin that much more special. 

The first ‘error’ is on the obverse side, with the Queen’s portrait. The dots that should follow the entire circumference of the silver centre suddenly end before completing the circuit. This is not necessarily an error because it’s a result of the dies wearing down during the striking process. The second is the reversed position of the edge lettering when the Queen is facing up. This reversal is not an error since sometimes the edge lettering is placed before either side has been struck. The last ‘error’ is with the edge inscription again, with the word ‘WILL’ appearing as ‘WIII’. Again, this is due to the die wearing down. 

Even though these variations are common occurrences among all 2-pound coins, that doesn’t mean that eBay auctions will be upfront about it. As of 2019, the highest price for a common circulation coin was £150, simply because it had all three of the ‘errors.’

Other Versions of the Charles Dickens Coin

The Charles Dickens 2 pound coin also comes in Gold Proof (1,000 mintage), Silver Proof (2,600 mintage), Silver Proof Piedfort (mintage 1,200), and Brilliant Uncirculated.