2002 Northern Ireland £2 Coins
Celebrating the XVII Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
This two pound coin depicts a stylised figure of an athlete holding a banner and the inscription XVII Commonwealth Games 2002.
Flag of Northern Ireland £2 Coin Variant
A small circle behind the athlete contains a flag with a cross, with a crowned hand inside a six-pointed star in its centre – representing Northern Ireland.

The coin design depicts a stylised figure of an athlete holding a banner and the inscription XVII Commonwealth Games 2002. Initials “MB” are for the designer Matthew Bonaccorsi.
Commonwealth Games (Northern Ireland) £2 Coins eBay
Commonwealth Games (Northern Ireland) £2 coins for sale on eBay
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Commonwealth Games (Northern Ireland) £2 Coin Worth?
The Northern Ireland flag variant of the 2002 XVII Commonwealth Games coins is the rarest coin in the set and the rarest £2 coin in circulation. Recent eBay sold listings for this coin indicate that the current value for a circulated coin in good condition is £38.00.
See our Rare £2 Coins page for current values.
Please note coin prices vary wildly depending upon rarity and condition. Prices provided are averages, not specific prices for individual coins. These prices are only updated from time to time and as such do not reflect short-term pricing trends.
Please do your own research before buying and selling UK coins.
Mintage Figures
The mintage figures for the 2002 XVII Commonwealth Games (Northern Ireland) coins are:
Base Metal | 485,500 coins entered circulation |
Brilliant Uncirculated (BU/BUNC) | 47,895 |
Silver Proof | 2,553 |
Silver Proof Piedfort | 3,497 |
Gold Proof | 315 |
Commonwealth Games £2 Coins
The 2002 Commonwealth Games £2 Coins are a four-coin set released into general circulation. The mintage figures for all coins are:
Coin Specification
Issued | 2002 |
Diameter | 28.4mm |
Weight | 12.0g |
Thickness | 2.5 mm |
Composition | Outer: Nickel-Brass (76% copper, 4% nickel, 20% zinc) Inner: Cupro-nickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
Obverse Designers | Ian Rank-Broadley |
Reverse Designer | Matthew Bonaccorsi |
Edge | Milled |
Edge Inscription | SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP,MANCHESTER 2002 |
About This Design
From 25 July to 4 August 2002 the city of Manchester played host to the Commonwealth Games.
In the biggest competition in the seventy-two-year history of the games some of the world’s greatest athletes competed in fourteen individual sports and three team sports over ten spectacular days of sporting and cultural activity.
To mark the celebration of sporting excellence, The Royal Mint issued a commemorative two-pound coin.
Matthew Bonaccorsi’s reverse design, the winning entry in a competition, represents celebration, victory and sportsmanship. It depicts a moving figure holding aloft a banner, the top of which is divided into lines symbolising the lanes of a swimming pool.
The design is completed with the edge inscription SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP. MANCHESETER 2002.
Four versions of the coin have been produced, one for each of the participating teams from the United Kingdom and distinguished by a cameo version of their respective flags.
See other two pound coins.