Every one of the 5 dates of Five Pound Crowns issued from 1990 to 1998 have a much lower mintage , at only 10,132,486 total issue for all five dates combined. The 1994 has the lowest mintage of any modern base metal 2 coin at 1,443,116. The figures for the 1989 issue at 4,777,891 include the English and Scottish versions. The Scottish version is known to have been issued in smaller quantities than the English version, but we do not know the split between the two types. We would not consider any of the modern base metal two pounds to be considered rare.
Dealers make their living by buying for a lower price than they are selling at.
They need to consider how long they are likely to have it in stock before they sell it, how much it costs in administrative and negotiation time to make the purchase, the cost of insurance and storage, financing the stock cost, and the cost of the time to negotiate and administer the sale. It is usually necessary to keep VAT and other accounting records. We sometimes meet people who think dealers margins are too high. We think such people should try it for themselves. The condition, or state of preservation, of a coin is important when considering its desirability to a collector, and therefore also important when it comes to value or price.