With the recent unfortunate event, it seems like Queen Elizabeth is everywhere. No matter if you are a resident of the Commonwealth, United States, or Europe, we are sure that in the past few days, you’ve at least watched one documentary about history’s second longest-reigning monarch.
This means that we will see many changes following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the ascending of King Charles III on the throne. The main change will be the value of the coins that bear Her Majesty’s profile. Of course, their value jumped immediately, but most coins tend to increase in value as time passes.
The good news is that majority of coins with her portrait will have some value. Even those that are currently in use since they will soon all be phased out and replaced with coins that bear King Charles III’s image.
Now you are all interested in finding the answer to this question – how much is a Queen Elizabeth coin worth? Read on to find out more.
Who Was A Queen Elizabeth II?
The life of Queen Elizabeth II can be called exciting, but that is an understatement. She was born on April 21, 1926. meaning she witnessed some of the most historical moments in human history. Imagine witnessing the evolution of society the way she did. During her life, she was an eyewitness to major events such as:
- the invention of color TV,
- women being given the right to vote,
- WW II,
- man walking on the moon,
- first organ transplantation,
- the invention of the Internet,
- first email being sent,
- Chornobyl disaster,
- fall of the Berlin Wall,
- creation of clones.
There are many more, however, these were some of the most important ones. But why am I saying this?
Well, as I already mentioned she is the second longest-raining monarch in history, and all of these events she witnessed, will add to the importance of her reign. Which will in times ahead of us increase the value of the items that carry her name and image.
She ascended to the throne when she was only 25 years old, marking the history of being the first monarch whose coronation was broadcasted worldwide on television. Her long and extraordinary reign took her traveling more widely than any other monarch.
As one of the most important women in the world, and as a rightful ruler of the fifteen countries her image was printed on many different coins, post stamps, and banknotes. Let’s talk more about that.
Unique coin with the image of Queen Elizabeth II
Before we start with the list of the most valuable Queen Elizabeth II coins, we should honorably mention a coin that won’t be included in the list since it is one of a kind and was produced as an exponent for the numismatic museum. The most valuable “coin” with the image of Queen Elizabeth is the one made in Canada in 2007.
What is spectacular about this “coin”, besides its $4 million price, is the size. The Royal Canadian Mint can hardly be called a coin since it weighs 100 kilograms and has 53 centimeters in diameter. What makes it so valuable is the material. This coin is made from 999.99‰ highly refined pure gold. The nominal value of this coin is $1 million, and it portrays the profile of Queen Elizabeth.
The List Of Valuable Queen Elizabeth II Coins
Before I start this list, I’m sure many of you are restless to find out. I must respectively mention one very unique coin.
This is the rarest coin ever minted. The 5-pound gold coin was minted in 1953 with a portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth II. This coin was mined only in one example for Her Majesty and still remains in the royal family collection. I didn’t list this coin below since no expert couldn’t give us not even an approximate estimation of its real value.
I’m sure this coin will never be available for auction even though I know many collectors would pay enormous amounts of money to own it. However, since we only like to talk about the coins whose real value we can actually talk about, here is the list of 8 currently most valuable coins with the image of Queen Elizabeth II.
The last thing I need to say before we continue is a small disclaimer. Considering the Queen has died you need to be prepared that some coins change their value overnight literally. Some coins from this list will have their price at least 10 times higher in the following months, so unfortunately I can’t tell you to rely on the stated prices a lot.
1. Elizabeth II 1954 penny
- Price: $114,461
With the ascendence of the new monarch, over 1.3 million Elizabeth II pennies were minted since there were no traditional coronation sets available for circulation. This means a new portrait had to experiment with. This is the case with this penny coin from 1954.
Several trial coins were made with this image and design, however, there is only one complete penny dated ‘1954’ only for private internal purposes at the Royal Mint. You can also find 2 uncompleted versions with only one side struck, at the British Museum.
Since this is the only penny in the world that is completed and has the 1954 date printed the value is estimated to be at least $114,461! If it ever comes out on the auction I’m pretty sure this unique gem will be sold for 10 times higher price.
2. QUEEN ELIZABETH II SOVEREIGN 1953
- Year: 1953
- Price: $57,230
An extremely rare coin minted only for the royal family members in just a few copies. This is one of the first coins made at the time of her reign. It was never made for purpose of collecting, its only purpose is as a gift to her family members.
Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in February 1952, however, she was crowned in June 1953. In keeping with tradition, coronation sets were produced containing Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 proof sovereign. However, there is a small change, unlike previous coronation sets, none were issued for the public. Only a handful was produced for her family members and institutional collections. The estimation is that each is worth around $57,230!
3. 2020 Britannia One Ounce Gold Coin
- Year: 2020
- Price: $45,784
In 2020 the Royal Mint released a 500-pound gold-proof coin with images of the two most important heritage symbols for British heritage and culture – lady Britannia and Queen Elizabeth II. Their images appear on countless coins, however, this edition is extremely rare. The mintage amount was only 50, and these coins are made from 999.9 fine gold.
The estimated value of this coin is around $15,000, however, with the recent passing of Her Majesty the Queen the value of this coin significantly jumped. You can look for this coin at the official coin companies such as Britannia Coin Company, London Coin Company, and so on.
4. Lord Kitchener WW1 £2 coin
- Year: 2014
- Price: $17,283
The coin was made to mark the centenary of WW I, you’ll find Queen Elizabeth II on one side and Lord Kitchener on the other side of the coin. This is the first coin from the series in which the Royal Mint commemorates the wartime journey.
But what makes this coin valuable, besides Her Majesty’s image, is that an unknown amount of them have minting errors. They miss the “two pound” marking on the side where the queen’s image is, or they have “your country needs you” double-stamped.
There were 5,720,000 minted and released into circulation, meaning you have roughly a one in 100 chance of getting the Lord Kitchener coin when you got your change back. The estimated value is around $600, however, the price on eBay significantly varies from $200, $572,83, and up to $5,688. One coin was sold on auction for over $15,000 in August this year, so it seems like there is no rule.
5. 1965 UK Winston Churchill One Crown
- Year: 1965
- Price: $11,466
In 1965, The Royal Mint gave a tribute to the life and accomplishments of the English statesman Sir Winston Churchill. This one became one of the most well-known British coins and a sought-after piece for all passionate British coin collectors. But why this coin is so special?
Before this one is made, no coin ever had a portrayal of any other person outside the Royal family! Crowns specifically featured a portrayal of monarchs and were released on special occasions such as weddings, birthdays, and jubilees.
Anyhow, the crown with Winston Churchill’s portrait was minted in almost 19 million pieces, meaning the coin can’t be so rare and valuable, or can it? A designer of this coin Oscar Nemon produced a very limited amount of these VIP coins with his initials. It is believed there are only 10 coins minted like this, while we only know about two examples of this rare coin. The one is sold for an amazing $11,466!
6. 2009 Kew Gardens 50p
- Year: 2009
- Price: $9,156
Many coin collectors went crazy about this rare coin. The iconic Kew Gardens 2009 commemorative 50p coin was released in 2009 to celebrate 250 years of Kew Gardens, which is the nation’s royal botanical garden.
The design features the famous Chinese Pagoda at Kew with the addition of decorative leafy climber twining and growing in and around the tower. Only 210,000 pieces were released into circulation. Nowadays, you got a one in 300 chance of getting a 50p Kew Gardens 2009 coin in change.
In case you get your hand on this coin you can earn some pretty money. It is estimated that these coins will fetch at least $200 depending on the condition, even though the highest price paid for this coin on auction was $9,156 or eight thousand British pounds.
You can find it on eBay and Etsy for much lower prices, from $100, $572, and up. Price mainly depends if the coins were circulated or uncirculated.
7. Princess Charlotte gold proof 5-pound coin
- Year: 2015
- Price: $5,717
To commemorate the birth and christening of princess Charlotte only 350 gold-proof 5-pound coins were minted and released. This coin is one of the first to use the fifth portrait of Elizabeth II as a design. You’ll find a text “To celebrate the Christening of Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge 2015” on the back of this coin.
Since it has higher gold content and very limited mintage this coin is very rare and sought after. On eBay and Etsy you can find these coins in silver-proof varieties but they cost significantly less. Their value is estimated to be approximately a few hundred dollars, while the gold-proof coin is worth at least $5,000 and can be purchased at the official website of Britannia Coin Company.
8. 1983 New Pence 2P
- Year:1983
- Price: $4807
In 1971 the UK switched to decimal coinage. To avoid confusion between the new and old coins, it was decided that all new coins will have the word ‘new’ included beside the denomination. The coin kept this design until 1982 when the coins were no longer new so they removed the word new and replace it with the word two.
However, a minor error occurred during the production of this 2p coin in 1983 for commemorative purposes only. A small amount of these coins were made with the old “new pence” design.
Unfortunately, a very common mistake is that people think that all 2p coins are valuable. The fact is that only the error issue 1983 coins and 1971 coins are the ones that can fetch you some money. In most cases, the estimated value is around $600. However, this coin was and will be sold for a much larger price tag in the auction.
9. 1996 FEC gold-proof 2-pound coin
- Year: 1996
- Price: $1144,62
This is the most rarest 2-pound coin in the UK. Its believed that there are only 17,500 pieces minted in honor of the Celebration of Football when England was a host of the 1996 UEFA European Championships.
The design features Queen Elizabeth II on one side and the image of a football on the other side. On the football side, you will find the date ‘1996’ in the center of the ball surrounded by sixteen small rings, which symbolize every participating team. On the edge, you will find an inscription that reads ‘THE TENTH EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP’.
Red More:10 Most Valuable Foreign Coins (Two Sold For Over $4 million USD!)
FAQ
When will Queen Elizabeth II coins be phased out?
Since the Queen has died all the coins and banknotes that bear her image will be phased out from official circulation and replaced with King Charles III’s image. This process will begin just after the mourning period and it will take some time since there are almost 29 billion coins that need to be replaced.
This means that cpis that are made for circulation and that are already labeled as rare will become even more sought after in the following years. Also, rare coins issued in the first and final years of Her Majesty’s reign will gain on value with time so if you own some of them don’t replace them. Keep them as a valuable memento until the time comes for selling.
What to do if you have a rare coin?
There are three ways to find out how much your rare coin is worth.
First, you should check the list on the Royal Mint’s official website or on the Coin Klub page. In case you have a rare coin that is not made for collectors and it was actually in use you should check eBay, Etsy, Live Auctioneers, or any reliable webpage of your choice. Make sure you filter the sold items to see the highest price range that coins reached.
The third and the best option is to visit a professional dealer or some numismatic society. They will for sure know all or some information about your coin, and if they don’t, they will at least tell you where you should go next.
How many coin portraits of Queen Elizabeth II are there?
There are five different portraits of the queen that were used for minting the coins for both collecting and actual use. Every portrait witness an exact period of time. This will also help you identify from which period your coin originates. Here is the list:
- The First Coin Portrait – was in use for coins minted in the period from 1953 until 1970.
- The Second Coin Portrait – was in use from 1968 until 1984.
- The Third Coin Portrait – featured on coins from 1985 until 1997.
- The Fourth Coin Portrait – was in use on coins from 1998 until 2015.
- The Fifth Coin Portrait – the last portrait was used from 2015.
It Is Time To Say Farewell
No matter where you live and if you like or you didn’t like the Queen and the Monarchy I’m sure you are aware that we lived in an era of the only women monarch who participated and survived WW II. She will always be remembered for that.
None of us can for sure say how much value the items with her image will have in the following years, but they will be very sought-after since the Queen has many respecters worldwide.
In this article, I did not tell you how to identify or where to look for the valuable coins, since many of them are still in actual use so pay attention when you get your change back. Yes, most of them will bear the marks of time and everyday usage, however, they will still have their value.
If you want to invest in collectible coins with her image now is the time to do so. You can find these at the official dealers, but my advice is to make sure you buy it now since their prices significantly change and raise with every day.
Michael Davidson brings over three decades of experience in buying, selling, and appraising rare United States coins. He is a lifetime member and certified numismatic coin grading specialist at the American Numismatic Association.
Michael graduated with top honors from the esteemed Numismatic Studies program at Grand Valley State University. He has contributed extensively to numismatic publications and organizations while building an impressive personal collection focused on early American copper and silver coins. Michael’s dedication, expertise, and passion for American history define his numismatic career.
When he’s not searching for new coin treasures, he most enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters.
