Editing Two pound coin (section)

{{short description|British coin denominating two pounds sterling}}
{{About|the circulating £2 coins first issued 1998 (dated 1997) and the commemorative coins released from 1986 to 1996|earlier two pound coins|double sovereign}}
{{Infobox Coin
|  Denomination = Two [[Pound (currency)|pounds]]
|  Country          = United Kingdom
|  Value              = £2
|  Unit                = 
|  Mass                = 12
|  Diameter            = 28.4
|  Thickness           = 2.5
|  Edge                = Milled, with incuse lettering
|  Composition         = Outer ring: Nickel-brass<br/>(76% [[Copper|Cu]], 20% [[Zinc|Zn]] and 4% [[Nickel|Ni]])<br/>Centre: Cupro-nickel<br/>(75% [[Copper|Cu]], 25% [[Nickel|Ni]])
|  Years of Minting    = 1997–present
|  Catalog Number      = 
|  Obverse             = [[File:British_two_pound_coin_2016_obverse.png|150px]]
|  Obverse Design      = [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]]
|  Obverse Designer    = [[Jody Clark]]
|  Obverse Design Date = 2015
|  Reverse             = [[File:£2 coin Britannia reverse.png|150px]]
|  Reverse Design      = [[Britannia]]
|  Reverse Designer    = [[Antony Dufort]]
|  Reverse Design Date = 2015
}}
The [[United Kingdom|British]] '''two pound coin''' ('''£2''') is a denomination of [[Coins of the United Kingdom|sterling coinage]]. Its obverse has featured the profile of [[Queen Elizabeth II]] since the coin’s release. Three different portraits of the Queen have been used, with the current design by [[Jody Clark]] being introduced in 2015. The reverse design features [[Britannia]].

The [[coin]] was released on 15 June 1998 (coins minted 1997) after a review of the United Kingdom's coinage decided that a general-circulation £2 coin was needed.<ref name="two pound coin">[http://www.royalmint.com/discover/uk-coins/coin-design-and-specifications/two-pound-coin Two Pound Coin Designs and Specifications], Royal Mint</ref> The new [[bi-metallic coin]] design replaced a series of commemorative, uni-metallic coins which were issued between 1986 and 1996 to celebrate special occasions. Although legal tender, those earlier coins had never been common in everyday circulation.

As of March 2014 there were an estimated 417 million £2 coins in circulation with an estimated face value of £834 million.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mintage Figures|url=https://www.royalmint.com/currency/uk-currency/mintages/two-pounds/|publisher=Royal Mint|access-date=4 November 2019}}</ref>

Beyond the usual commemorative versions, no standard two pound coins have been minted for general circulation since 2016, although examples have been issued in uncirculated sets at a premium. This was because the concurrent introduction of the new version of the [[One pound (British coin)|one pound coin]] had put enough £2 (and [[Twenty pence (British coin)|20 pence]]) coins back into circulation, as people emptied coin jars primarily for the older one pound coin that was due to be withdrawn.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48201920|title = Why the Royal Mint stopped making 20p coins|work = BBC News|date = 10 May 2019}}</ref>

£2 coins are [[legal tender]] to any amount when offered in repayment of a debt; however, the coin's legal tender status is not normally relevant for everyday transactions.