First World War Aviation £2 (2017)
The First World War Aviation £2 from 2017 shows a two-seater biplane on a reconnaissance flight above a patchwork of fields, with the words THE WAR IN THE AIR. It was sold only in brilliant uncirculated packs and never issued for circulation. It is the fourth of the five First World War £2 coins and one of the 85 £2 designs struck since 1986.
First World War Aviation £2 value
- Uncirculated
- typical £20, range £15 to £24
Worked out from 7 published prices (3 dealer prices, 2 price guides and 2 sold-price reports), each condition from its own prices, checked in September 2026.
Every First World War Aviation £2 was sold as a brilliant uncirculated coin in Royal Mint packs, sets and covers, so there is no worn, face value version to compare against. An unopened Royal Mint pack sells for more than a loose coin. Fingerprints, toning or marks across the wings and fields reduce the value, and the fine lines of the landscape show handling quickly. Proof versions were also sold and are priced separately from the brilliant uncirculated coin.
First World War Aviation £2 mintage and rarity
The First World War Aviation £2 was not issued for circulation, so it has no rarity rank.
How to spot a First World War Aviation £2
The First World War Aviation £2 is the only coin in the series with an aircraft on it, seen from directly above with fields spread out below. THE WAR IN THE AIR runs round the lower right of the outer ring, and the edge reads THE SKY RAINED HEROES. The Queen's portrait is Jody Clark's fifth. Because it never circulated, an Aviation coin will come from a pack, a set or another collector rather than from your change.
First World War Aviation £2 design
When the war began in 1914, few people expected aircraft to play a large part, and the Royal Flying Corps, the Army's air arm, started out as an eye in the sky, reporting on enemy positions. As the fighting went on, aircraft were used to drop bombs and pilots fought in dogfights, and in 1918 the Royal Flying Corps and the naval air service were merged into the Royal Air Force. The early machines were built of wood and doped linen, crashed often and flew without parachutes. The fourth coin in The Royal Mint's centenary series, designed by Dan Flashman of Tangerine Design, looks down on one of them from above: a two-seater biplane carrying a pilot and an observer, heading towards the top of the coin over fields laid out like a map. Its upper wing stretches across both metals. The years 1914 · 1918 run round the upper right of the ring and THE WAR IN THE AIR round the lower right. The edge reads THE SKY RAINED HEROES.
In the First World War set it followed the First World War Army £2 of 2016 and came before the First World War Armistice £2 of 2018.
First World War Aviation £2 specifications
- Denomination
- £2
- Year
- 2017
- Type
- Commemorative
- Issue
- Not issued for circulation
- Series
- First World War
- Occasion
- Centenary of the First World War: aviation
- Designer
- Dan Flashman
- Composition
- Cupro-nickel centre, nickel-brass outer ring
- Weight
- 12 g
- Diameter
- 28.4 mm
- Shape
- Round
- Edge
- Milled, with incuse inscription THE SKY RAINED HEROES
- Obverse
- Elizabeth II, fifth portrait by Jody Clark
First World War Aviation £2 questions
Was the First World War Aviation £2 released into circulation?
No. It was struck only to brilliant uncirculated and proof standard for Royal Mint packs and sets, so it cannot be found in change.
What plane is on the First World War Aviation £2?
A First World War two-seater biplane on reconnaissance with a pilot and an observer aboard. It has been identified as a Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8, and has also been likened to the Martinsyde Elephant.