Duchess of Hamilton £2 (2026)

The Duchess of Hamilton £2 was sold as a brilliant uncirculated coin for collectors, and The Royal Mint has published no circulation figure for it. The standard coin comes in the Royal Mint pack and in retailers' capsules, and a sealed pack sells ahead of a loose coin. A separate limited-edition brilliant uncirculated coin with selective colouring is priced apart from the plain coin, as are the coloured silver proof and piedfort. On a loose coin, the long smooth casing and the speed stripes show scratches and fingerprints easily.

The Duchess of Hamilton £2 was not issued for circulation, so it has no rarity rank.

The Duchess of Hamilton £2 shows a streamlined steam locomotive in profile heading left, its smooth casing marked with parallel stripes, running on lines that cross the coin. The engine's number is at the top of the yellow ring, and DUCHESS OF HAMILTON is lettered large at the lower right over both metals. The edge begins LMS PRINCESS CORONATION CLASS. The streamlined casing separates it from the Flying Scotsman £2 coin of 2023, which shows its engine trailing smoke under arcs of lines.

Known varieties of the Duchess of Hamilton £2, all listed among the UK error coins and varieties:

• Colour edition: A limited-edition brilliant uncirculated coin with selective colouring, sold in a Royal Mint coloured BU pack.

Duchess of Hamilton was built in Crewe in 1938 for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway as one of its Princess Coronation class locomotives, designed to pull the most prestigious express trains between London and Glasgow. Its sleek streamlined casing, marked with metallic Art Deco stripes, joined speed to style, and the engine became a symbol of the golden age of Britain's railways. In 2026 The Royal Mint gave it a UK coin for the first time. The artist Gary Breeze, who had designed the HMS Belfast and RRS Discovery £2 coins the year before, shows the locomotive side-on and racing to the left, on lines that run across the whole coin, with the parallel speed stripes along its casing adding to the sense of motion. The engine's running number sits at the top of the outer ring, and DUCHESS OF HAMILTON is set in large letters at the lower right, spreading across both metals. The edge inscription reads LMS PRINCESS CORONATION CLASS followed by the same number. Each edition came in packaging that looks at the history and legacy of the locomotive, and King Charles III is on the obverse.