About This Coin

🎭 2016 ‘Shakespeare Comedies’ £2 – Brilliant Uncirculated

Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) bi-metallic £2 coin celebrating William Shakespeare’s comedies, featuring a jester’s cap and stick. Struck to a higher standard for collectors and sold in Royal Mint packaging rather than for general circulation.

BU Coin Summary & Key Facts

This is the Brilliant Uncirculated version of the 2016 Shakespeare Comedies £2 coin. BU coins were sold directly to collectors – not bagged for banks – and have a total BU mintage of 57,807 pieces across Royal Mint packs and other BU products.

📊 BU Specifications & Values

Core details specifically for the BU version of the Shakespeare Comedies £2 coin.

Aspect	Figure	BU-specific notes
Denomination	£2 (Two Pounds)	Legal tender UK £2 coin; BU pieces were sold as collectables rather than released into circulation.
Metal, weight & diameter	Outer ring: Nickel-brass Inner disc: Cupro-nickel Weight: 12.00 g Diameter: 28.40 mm	Standard UK bi-metallic £2 specification with milled edge.
Year & theme	2016 – Shakespeare’s Comedies	Issued for the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death; one of three Shakespeare £2 designs (Histories, Comedies, Tragedies).
BU mintage (total)	57,807 BU	Total BU mintage across all products, including 22,060 coins in Royal Mint Shakespeare Comedies packs and 35,747 in other BU sets/cards.
Circulation mintage (reference)	4,355,000	Number of standard coins released into circulation – useful context for overall scarcity.
Designers	Reverse: John Bergdahl Obverse: Jody Clark	Reverse shows a jester’s cap and stick; obverse carries the fifth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
Edge inscription	ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE	Quotation from As You Like It, struck in incuse lettering around the milled edge.
Quality	Brilliant Uncirculated (BU)	Struck using specially prepared dies on clean blanks and handled carefully so the coin retains sharp detail and mint lustre, with none of the circulation wear seen on change-found examples.
Original BU issue	Release date: 5 November 2015 Pack type: Single BU card / 3-coin Shakespeare BU set	BU Comedies coins were sold both as individual Royal Mint packs and as part of a three-coin Shakespeare BU set.
Guide value (BU)	About £8	Modern value guides typically quote around £8 for a standard BU coin in as-new condition, with some multi-coin packs working out at a little more per coin.

💡 Collector Notes – BU Version

The BU Shakespeare Comedies £2 is the “jester” of the set – a theatrical design, decent BU mintage and a nice way to get a crisp, high-grade example of one of the more talked-about modern £2 coins.

BU vs circulation:
- Circulation coins were mass-struck and tipped into bulk bags, picking up dings and scuffs – especially on the jester’s hat and stick.
- BU coins are struck with extra care on clean blanks, then packaged for collectors, so they show sharper detail, brighter lustre and minimal contact marks.
Design details to look for on a good BU coin:
- crisp lines on the jester’s cap and bells,
- clean, readable WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE legend and date,
- sharp rim beads and a fully formed Queen’s portrait on the obverse,
- clear edge inscription: ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE with no heavy rim knocks.
Packaging & presentations: BU Shakespeare Comedies coins appear:
- in single-coin Royal Mint BU packs, and
- in the 2016 Shakespeare three-coin BU set (Histories, Comedies, Tragedies).
Intact, clean packaging is a big part of the appeal and value for many collectors.
Rarity & demand: With 57,807 BU coins against over 4.3 million circulation pieces, the BU version is far scarcer in absolute numbers. Add Shakespeare’s enduring popularity and you get a coin that’s easy to sell on but still affordable to buy in BU.
Collecting tip: If you’re building a Shakespeare mini-set, it’s worth matching quality across all three designs – ideally all BU in their original Royal Mint packs or all loose but high-grade, for a consistent look in an album.

Shakespeare Comedies £2 Coin BU

Coin Specifications

How much is the Shakespeare Comedies £2 Coin BU worth?