The exact dates and designs to spot in your spare change that could be worth £2,500
SOME of the coins in your spare change could be worth up to a whopping £2,500.
A number of coins sells for massive sums due to manufacturing errors or because only a limited amount were struck.
But you might not know how to spot some of these rare pieces.
From a Blue Peter 50p to an undated 20p piece, here are some of the rarest ones you should look out for, and the dates or designs that tell you they’re worth potentially thousands of pounds.
Always bear in mind with rare coins though, that one you’ve got is only worth what a seller is willing to pay for it.
That means you might not get the exact amounts we’ve listed below, but they do inform what you could potentially get.
Blue Peter 50p – £216
This Blue Peter 50p, which was first released in 2009 and features a cartoon high-jumper, has sold for £216 on eBay in the past.
The unique piece was designed by nine-year-old Florence Jackson ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.
Florence’s drawing was selected out of 17,000 entries into a Blue Peter competition.
Over 2.2 million of the Blue Peter 50p coins were issued, with most most minted in 2011.
However, this coin was minted in 2009, making it significantly rarer than the piece struck two years later and worth over £200.
King Charles III Atlantic Salmon – £40
The Atlantic Salmon 50p, which entered general circulation just last November, has been known to sell for up to £41 on eBay.
The coin was one of eight special varieties first released by The Royal Mint.
An estimated 500,000 of the coins entered circulation but collectors have reportedly been finding them hard to come by in their spare change.
Error 1983 2p coin – £1,000
The 1983 error 2p coin has been known to sell for up to £1,000 – 2,000 times its face value.
The pieces were struck incorrectly meaning they featured an old “New Pence” instead of “Two Pence” phrase.
The batch of error coins entered circulation as part of commemorative sets in the early 1980s and now they’re fetching giant sums.
If you think you might have one in your spare change, you need to look out for the 1983 date on the coin and if it says “New Pence” on the reverse side instead of “Two Pence”, you’ve got it.
“Fried egg” error £2 coin – £600
This “fried egg” coin has been known to sell for £600 in the past due to an error in the striking process.
A design error on some of the £2 coins leaves them looking like a runny fried egg as the middle has spilt out on to the outer rim.
Because not many of these coins entered general circulation, plenty of buyers are willing to spend over the odds on getting one.
What are the most rare and valuable coins?
- Five rarest coins – do you have one?
- The 13 most valuable £2 coins in circulation
- How valuable are the rarest £1 coins?
- Most rare and valuable 50p coins in circulation
- Rare and most valuable 20p coins that could be worth up to £750
- Rarest 10p coins in circulation
- Rare 2p coins revealed
- How to check if you have a rare and valuable banknote
Some have been bought for £600 previously while you could get more depending on the condition and demand.
Olympic swimming 50p – £1,500
The rare “Lines Over Face” error 50p has been known to sell for £1,500 in the past.
The coin is one from the London 2012 Olympic Games series and depicts the image of swimmer.
But this coin in particular is worth lots because it features lines across the swimmers’ face that shouldn’t be there.
Nobody knows how many of the error coins were mistakenly made, although it is believed to be around 600.
Error £1 – £2,500
A “dual-dated” £1 error coin has been known to fetch £2,500 in the past.
Both 2016 and 2017 obverse-dated (when the date is on head of the coin not the tail) £1 coins entered circulation in April 2017.
But an error on some of these coins meant a limited number wrongly ended up with the 2016 date on the Queen‘s head side.
On these coins there is a 2017 engraving on the reverse side in tiny writing.
Undated 20p – £100
Rare coin website Change Checker has previously branded the undated 20p the “holy grail of change collecting”.
Collectors have been known to search far and wide for the valuable coin ever since it entered circulation in 2008.
The Royal Mint decided to change the positioning of the date on every 20p piece in 2008, moving it from the back to the front.
But a batch of between 50,000 and 250,000 coins was released without any date at all as part of the manufacturing process.
Collectors are so keen to pick up one of the rare coins, they have been willing to pay up to £100 for one.
How to spot if your coin is rare
The most valuable and rare coins are usually the ones with low mintage numbers or an error.
A mintage number relates to how many of a certain coin were made, so the lower the number, the rarer and, generally, the more valuable a coin is.
Meanwhile, error coins are pieces that were incorrectly struck during the manufacturing process.
The ultra-rare “lines over face” 50p error coin is one such coin, which has been known to sell for £1,500 in the past.
How to spot valuable items
COMMENTS by Consumer Editor, Alice Grahns:
It’s easy to check if items in your attic are valuable.
As a first step, go on eBay to check what other similar pieces, if not the same, have sold for recently.
Simply search for your item, filter by “sold listings” and toggle by the highest value.
This will give you an idea of how much others are willing to pay for it.
The method can be used for everything ranging from rare coins and notes to stamps, old toys, books and vinyl records – just to mention a few examples.
For coins, online tools from change experts like Coin Hunter are also helpful to see how much it could be worth.
Plus, you can refer to Change Checker’s latest scarcity index update to see which coins are topping the charts.
For especially valuable items, you may want to enlist the help of experts or auction houses.
Do your research first though and be aware of any fees for evaluating your stuff.
As a rule of thumb, rarity and condition are key factors in determining the value of any item.
You’re never guaranteed to make a mint, however.
How to sell a rare coin
There are three ways you can sell rare coins – on eBay, Facebook, or in an auction.
If you’re selling on Facebook, there are risks attached.
Some sellers have previously been targeted by scammers who say they want to buy a rare note or coin and ask for money up front to pay for a courier to pick it up.
But the courier is never actually sent and you’re left out of pocket.
Rather than doing this, it’s always best to meet a Facebook seller in person when buying or selling a rare note or coin.
Ensure it’s a public meeting spot that’s in a well-lit area and if you can, avoid using payment links.
Next, you can sell at auction, which is generally the safest option.
You can organise this with The Royal Mint’s Collectors Service.
It has a team of experts who can help you authenticate and value your coin.
You can get in touch via email and a member of the valuation team will get back to you.
You will be charged for the service though – the cost varies depending on the size of your collection.
You can also sell rare coins on eBay.
But always bear in mind, you will only make what the buyer is willing to pay at that time.
You can search for the same note or coin as you have to see how much the same one has sold for on the website previously.
This can help give you an indication of how much you should sell it for.
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