Rare 20p error coin worth £50 – do you have one in your spare change?
A RARE 20p coin without a date on it could be worth up to £50 - and you could have one in your loose change.
New figures published in collectors mag estimate that just one of the coins could be worth up to 250 times its worth to a collector.
In 2008, the Royal Mint changed the design of the 20p, moving the date from the back of the coin to the front next to the Queen's head.
But it made a mistake on a batch of them which were minted without a date at all.
The Royal Mint then accidentally released around 120,000 of them into circulation, which means that one of them could have ended up in your purse.
They're particularly valuable to collectors as they are the first coins to have made it into circulation without a date for more than 300 years.
But you'll need to give your change a thorough search because the error coin can easily be missed.
One of these coins recently after it attracted 14 bids.
Even though it had been in circulation, it was in an almost immaculate condition and the collector had put it in a case to protect it.
What are the most valuable error coins?
HAVE a rummage through the change in your pocket for a coin that's been minted with a mistake as it could be worth a small fortune.
1983 New Pence 2p coin worth up to £1,250
All 2p coins minted between February 1971 and 1982 should say "new pence" on the front, while those released after this date say "two pence". But in 1983, a glitch meant a batch of 2p coins were printed with the old wording on them making them valuable to collectors.
Silver 2p (1971 to 1992) worth up to £1,000
These coins were accidentally struck on silver and can be easily mistaken for a 10p. James Weller from Kent found one in his change at home. He hasn't sold it yet, but if it sells for anything like other silver 2p coins, then it could be worth more than £1,000.
All zinc £2 coin worth up to £800
The rare Standing on the Shoulders of Giants £2 coin has only been stamped on nickel brass, rather than on two types of metal - nickel brass and copper zinc. Approximately 10,270,000 of these types of coins were issued for circulation in 2007.
Bronze 20p worth up to £750
One of the rarest coins ever, the bronze 20p coin is dated 1987. The Royal Mint said it was the result of an extremely rare minting error, with a blank 1p somehow finding its way into the presses and ending up with a 20p struck onto it.
London 2012 Olympics Aquatics 50p first design worth up to £1,500
Not technically a printing error, this coin was originally minted with water passing directly over the swimmer’s face, but it was later modified to include less water so you can see the swimmer more clearly. Experts have valued this one to be worth between £1,000 and £1,500.
One of these "mule" coins - meaning it wasn't struck the way it was supposed to be - that wasn't in a case, sold for in September.
This means that the one in your pocket could still be worth a small fortune.
But even though these coins are rare, they aren't as valuable as the rarest coin in circulation, the Kew Gardens 50p.
The Royal Mint manufactures four million coins a day, so you can see why sometimes things go wrong during the minting process.
Latest on rare coins and valuable notes
But it's pretty rare if a batch of error coins makes it into circulation, which makes them very attractive to collectors.
In 1983, a minting glitch meant a batch of 2p coins were printed with the old wording - "new pence" - on them, rather than "two pence", making them valuable to collectors.
The dangers of selling your coins on eBay
THE most valuable coins are usually those that have low mintage numbers or those with an error.
These are often deemed the most valuable by collectors.
Once you’ve found out whether the coin is real or not, you have a number of options - either selling it through a coin dealer, at auction or on eBay.
Sell it at auction
If you’ve got a coin that you would like to sell at auction then you can contact a member of the British Numismatic Trade Association.
They usually deal in very old coins but they may be able to help you assess whether it’s worth selling your coin at auction or whether it would be valuable to a collector.
Sell it on eBay
If you want to sell the coin you’ve found in your spare change on eBay then you need to know the risks.
Remember to set a minimum price that is higher or at the very least equal to the face value of the coin.
Even if your coin “sells” on eBay for a high price there’s no guarantee that the buyer will cough up.
In its terms and conditions, the auction website states that bidders enter a “legally binding contract to purchase an item”, but there’s no way to enforce this rule in reality.
The most eBay can do is add a note to the buyer's account about the unpaid item or remove their ability to bid and buy.
This is because in order to sign up to the website, users do not need to put in valid bank or PayPal details before making a bid.
If a bidder refuses to pay, then the only option for sellers is to give “second chance offers” to other bidders or relist the item.
For items of a high value, eBay recommends that sellers put a limit on their listing to approve bidders.
It means bidders must email you before placing a bid but NOT that they must pay out the cash if they win.
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