150 years of the FA Cup £2 (2022)

The FA Cup £2 was never struck for circulation, so the coins that change hands are brilliant uncirculated examples and proofs. A sealed Royal Mint pack, with its history of the competition, sells ahead of a loose coin. On a loose coin, check the tall trophy for knocks. The silver, piedfort and gold proofs trade as separate coins.

The 150 years of the FA Cup £2 was not issued for circulation, so it has no rarity rank.

The FA Cup £2 is easy to pick out: the trophy stands upright in the silver-coloured centre, with the words THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION CHALLENGE CUP on the bowl. Two seasons flank it, the first on the left and 2021 · 22 on the right. The yellow outer ring carries the anniversary inscription ending THE FA CUP, and the edge reads FOOTBALL'S GREATEST CUP COMPETITION. It was only sold in packs and proof cases, so a loose one has come out of its packaging.

The FA Cup began in the 1870s and is the longest-running football competition in the world. Its knockout format gives clubs from the lower tiers of English football the chance to draw a Premier League side, and the bigger clubs of the English Football League enter at the third round. When the competition reached its 150th anniversary in 2022, The Royal Mint worked with The FA on the first UK coin to honour it. Matt Dent and Christian Davies, who also designed the Alan Turing 50p together that year, put the cup at the centre: the 2014 version of the trophy, standing tall with THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION CHALLENGE CUP on its body. The first season of the competition is marked to the left of the cup and the 2021 · 22 season to the right, so the coin spans the whole history of the tournament. An inscription celebrating the anniversary runs around the outer ring, and the edge reads FOOTBALL'S GREATEST CUP COMPETITION. Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is on the obverse. The coin came in packaging that tells the story of the cup.