Mayflower £2 (2020)
The Mayflower £2 is a 2020 commemorative coin marking the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower's voyage from Plymouth to the New World. It was sold only to collectors and never entered circulation. It is one of the 85 £2 designs struck since 1986.
Mayflower £2 value
- Uncirculated
- typical £9, range £8 to £12
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.
No Mayflower £2 was struck for circulation, so the market is made up of brilliant uncirculated coins and proofs. A coin still sealed in its Royal Mint pack, or held in a certified card or capsule, sells better than one taken out and handled. On a loose coin, check the billowing sails and the flags on the outer ring for rubbing. Fingerprints and toning on the flat field around the ship also cut the price. The silver proof, piedfort and gold proof versions are separate coins with their own prices.
Mayflower £2 mintage and rarity
The Mayflower £2 was not issued for circulation, so it has no rarity rank.
How to spot a Mayflower £2
The Mayflower £2 shows one sailing ship with her sails filled, sitting on waves in the silver-coloured centre. Her flags reach up onto the yellow outer ring, and a single star sits beside her on the left. Look for MAYFLOWER along the bottom of the ring and a pair of dates across the top, with 2020 on the right. The edge reads UNDERTAKEN FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, and the obverse carries Queen Elizabeth II. None were issued for circulation, so examples come from packs, sets and proof cases rather than change.
Mayflower £2 design
The Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying passengers who hoped to begin again in the New World, on a crossing shaped by religious persecution and troubled by bad weather and setbacks. This 2020 £2 coin for the 400th anniversary of that voyage was designed by Chris Costello, who went on to design the H.G. Wells £2 the following year. His reverse puts the ship under full sail in the centre, riding the waves, with the flags at her mastheads breaking out of the centre and into the outer ring. A small star sits to the left of the ship. The outer ring carries the year of the voyage at the upper left and 2020 at the upper right, with MAYFLOWER along the bottom. The edge inscription, UNDERTAKEN FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, is a line from the Mayflower Compact. Jody Clark's fifth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is on the obverse. Besides the brilliant uncirculated coin, collectors could buy it as a silver proof, a silver piedfort and a gold proof.
Mayflower £2 specifications
- Denomination
- £2
- Year
- 2020
- Type
- Commemorative
- Issue
- Not issued for circulation
- Occasion
- 400th anniversary of the voyage of the Mayflower
- Designer
- Chris Costello
- Composition
- Cupro-nickel centre, nickel-brass outer ring
- Weight
- 12 g
- Diameter
- 28.4 mm
- Shape
- Round
- Edge
- Milled, with incuse inscription UNDERTAKEN FOR THE GLORY OF GOD
- Obverse
- Elizabeth II, fifth portrait by Jody Clark
Mayflower £2 questions
Was the Mayflower £2 released into circulation?
No. The Royal Mint sold it only to collectors, as a brilliant uncirculated coin and in silver and gold proof, so it should not turn up in your change.
What does the edge of the Mayflower £2 say?
The edge reads UNDERTAKEN FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, a quotation from the Mayflower Compact.
Who designed the Mayflower £2?
Chris Costello, who also designed the H.G. Wells £2 coin of 2021. His reverse shows the Mayflower under full sail with her flags reaching into the outer ring.