Commonwealth Games, Northern Ireland £2 (2002)

The Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2 is the rarest of the 2002 flag coins and the scarcest bimetallic £2 issued for circulation. It shows the Ulster Banner beside the athlete on the Manchester Games design. It is one of the four Commonwealth Games 2002 £2 coins and one of the 85 £2 designs struck since 1986.

Athlete of broken lines with a banner held high, the Ulster Banner flag to its left and the value £2 to its right — Photo: The Royal Mint, 2002

Commonwealth Games, Northern Ireland £2 value

Circulated: typical £28, range £15 to £42
Uncirculated: typical £56, range £45 to £66

Worked out from 9 published prices (7 price guides and 2 dealer prices), each condition from its own prices, checked in September 2026.

Rarity rank 2 of 44 ranked £2 designs, rarest first

Very rare

As the scarcest of the set, the Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2 carries the biggest premium of the four in every condition. Worn coins from change still sell well above face value, and prices climb for coins with a sharp Ulster Banner, clean surfaces and a legible edge. Brilliant uncirculated examples are worth the most.

Commonwealth Games, Northern Ireland £2 mintage and rarity

With 485,500 struck for circulation, the Commonwealth Games, Northern Ireland £2 is the second rarest of the 44 ranked £2 designs and has the 30th lowest mintage of all 194 circulating UK designs. That puts it in the Very rare band, for mintages under 500,000.

The next rarer £2 is the Claim of Right £2, with 381,400 struck, and the next more common is the Commonwealth Games, Wales £2, with 588,500 struck.

How to spot a Commonwealth Games, Northern Ireland £2

The flag decides it. On the Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2 coin the roundel to the left of the athlete holds the Ulster Banner, an upright cross with a star and crown at its centre. Compare it closely with the England coin, whose cross is plain, because the two are easily mixed up when worn. Scotland's diagonal saltire and the Welsh dragon are simpler to rule out. The athlete, lettering and edge are identical across all four versions.

Commonwealth Games, Northern Ireland £2 design

Manchester's Commonwealth Games in 2002 brought teams from across the Commonwealth to compete in 17 sports, with the home nations of the United Kingdom entering separately. Northern Ireland came away with two gold medals and seventeenth place in the medal table. The Royal Mint struck four versions of a single £2 for the Games, each bearing one home nation's flag. The Northern Ireland coin, which the Mint lists as Commonwealth Games Ireland, places the Ulster Banner in a roundel to the left of the athlete. Matthew Bonaccorsi's athlete is formed from sketchy, broken lines and holds a banner that reaches up and out to the top left, over both metals. The £2 value sits to the right and XVII COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2002 bends round the right side of the outer ring. The edge is lettered SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP and MANCHESTER 2002, with Ian Rank-Broadley's fourth portrait of the Queen on the obverse.

It was one of the four coins in the Commonwealth Games 2002 set issued in 2002.

Commonwealth Games, Northern Ireland £2 specifications

Denomination: £2
Year: 2002
Type: Commemorative
Issue: Issued for circulation
Series: XVII Commonwealth Games, Manchester 2002
Occasion: XVII Commonwealth Games, Manchester 2002
Designer: Matthew Bonaccorsi
Composition: Cupro-nickel centre, nickel-brass outer ring
Weight: 12 g
Diameter: 28.4 mm
Shape: Round
Edge: Milled, with incuse inscription SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP MANCHESTER 2002
Obverse: Elizabeth II, fourth portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley

Commonwealth Games, Northern Ireland £2 questions

Is the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games £2 rare?

Yes. No bimetallic £2 coin had a smaller circulation run, which also makes it the rarest of the four 2002 flag versions.

How can I tell if my Commonwealth Games £2 is the Northern Ireland one?

Look at the flag beside the athlete. The Northern Ireland coin shows the Ulster Banner, with a star and crown at the centre of the cross; a plain cross means England.

Why is it sometimes called the Ireland Commonwealth Games £2?

The Royal Mint lists the design as Commonwealth Games Ireland, but the flag on it is the Ulster Banner of Northern Ireland, which is how most people describe the coin.