Wedgwood £2 (2019)

All Wedgwood £2 coins were made for collectors, released from March 2019 in The Royal Mint's brilliant uncirculated pack, in capsules and in sets. An unopened pack beats a loose coin, and the silver proof and silver piedfort belong to a much higher bracket. Rubbing, fingermarks or scratches on the raised figures of the vase lower the price of any version.

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

Look for a vase with a handle on each side and small classical figures around its body. The top of the vase breaks out of the silver-coloured centre into the ring, where WEDGWOOD is lettered above it. Laurel sprays fill the sides of the ring and two years sit at the bottom. The edge reads EVERYTHING GIVES WAY TO EXPERIMENT.

Josiah Wedgwood founded his pottery in the 18th century, and the company he built transformed the production and marketing of pottery. It is still known around the world for its craftsmanship and quality. For the 260th anniversary in 2019, The Royal Mint struck a £2 coin designed not by one of its own artists but by the Wedgwood Design Team. They chose the Portland Vase, a two-handled vase decorated in relief with classical figures and a tree, set in the centre of the coin with its neck rising into the outer ring. WEDGWOOD is lettered around the top of the ring, the founding year and 2019 around the bottom, and laurel branches run down both sides. The edge inscription, EVERYTHING GIVES WAY TO EXPERIMENT, is based on Josiah Wedgwood's own motto, and Jody Clark's fifth portrait of the Queen, with the value, is on the obverse.