Coins of England and Great BritainDecimal Two Pence

Decimal Two Pence

Elizabeth II Two Pence coins have been struck from 1971 to present day. Their have been six types struck so far but the weight at approximately 7.13 grams and diameter of 25.91 millimetres have been kept constant The Prince of Wales Arms reverse design dates back to the Black Prince (son of Edward III) and his opponent the blind king John I of Bohemia whose motto "ICH DIEN" which means "I Serve" is impressed on the coin.

New Two Pence Type The first type was struck from 1971 to 1981 however 1972, 1973 and 1974 were only struck as proofs. Elizabeth's right facing portrait was designed by Arnold Machin, the obverse inscription reads "ELIZABETH II D G REG F D" followed by the date. The reverse was designed by Christopher Ironside, it depicts a crown with three large ostrich feathers pointing out of its top. There is also a banner below with the inscription "ICH DIEN" which is German meaning "I Serve" it is the motto of the prince of Wales. The reverse inscription reads "NEW PENCE".

Bronze Type 2 The second type was struck from 1982 to 1984, the obverse is identical to the first type and the reverse differs only in the inscription which changes from "NEW PENCE" to "TWO PENCE".

Bronze Type 3 The third type was struck from 1985 to 1992, the 1992 bronze Two Pence was only struck for proof sets. The reverse is identical to the reverse used in the second type. The portrait has been redesigned by Raphael Maklouf to show Elizabeth as being slightly older. The obverse inscription reads "ELIZABETH II D G REG F D" followed by the date.

First Steel Type The fourth type was struck from 1992 to 1997, it was identical in design to type three. The difference comes from the debasing of the coin, instead of being struck in bronze the two pence was now made of copper plated steel. The Two Pence was kept at the same weight by making the coin thicker than the previous bronze type.

Old Head Type The fifth type was struck from 1998 to 2007. The reverse was kept the same as it was before but the portrait was redesigned by Ian Rank-Broadley to portray Elizabeth as being elderly. The obverse inscription still reads "ELIZABETH·II·D·G·REG·F·D" followed by the date. In 1998 around 55% of the Two Pence struck reverted back to being struck in bronze for operational reasons and the 1999 proofs were also struck in bronze.

Old Head Type Part Shield Reverse The sixth type started being struck in 2008 and is in use still today. The reverse was designed by Matthew Dent and it features a small portion of the Royal Standard Shield with the inscription "TWO PENCE". The Royal Mint likes his design as it was chosen from other designs in a competition to redesign the reverses of the coinage excluding the two pound coin. The obverse was kept the same as the previous type.