First World War Army £2 (2016)

More Army coins were struck for circulation than any other design in the set, so a worn First World War Army £2 is worth face value. Collectors pay a premium only for the brilliant uncirculated and proof versions sold in Royal Mint packs and capsules, and an unopened pack with its booklet is worth more than a loose coin. The design is made of fine outlines, so even light wear softens the soldiers' faces, which is what sets uncirculated coins apart from those found in change.

With 9,550,000 struck for circulation, the First World War Army £2 is the 41st rarest of the 44 ranked £2 designs and has the 142nd lowest mintage of all 194 circulating UK designs. That puts it in the Uncommon band, for mintages 2,500,000 to 9,999,999.

The next rarer £2 is the Abolition of the Slave Trade £2, with 8,445,000 struck, and the next more common is the St Paul's Cathedral £2, with 10,191,000 struck.

Three overlapping soldiers' heads in outline, all looking right, identify the First World War Army £2 coin. There is no other image on the reverse, only the ring legend and the date 2016. Do not confuse it with the 2014 coin, where Lord Kitchener points out at you, or the 2015 coin with its battleship. The edge lettering FOR KING AND COUNTRY confirms it, and the heads side carries Jody Clark's portrait of the Queen.

When war broke out in 1914, the British Army was far smaller than the armies of Germany and France, and rather than conscript men, the government appealed for volunteers. General Sir Henry Rawlinson believed recruits would come forward more readily if they could serve with people they knew, and Lord Derby's appeal in Liverpool showed he was right. Friends, neighbours and workmates joined up together and served in the same unit, known as a Pals Battalion. Tim Sharp's reverse for the third coin in the series puts three of these men shoulder to shoulder. They are drawn as overlapping profile outlines, all facing right, in a style that recalls the English cubist art of the war years. THE FIRST WORLD WAR 1914-1918 encircles them, with 2016 below. FOR KING AND COUNTRY is lettered on the edge, and Jody Clark's fifth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is on the obverse.

In the First World War set it followed the First World War Royal Navy £2 of 2015 and came before the First World War Aviation £2 of 2017.