Three rare coins that you could have in your pocket - and they're worth a fortune
A rare coin aficionado has shed light on three coins that, despite being in circulation for years, could fetch a pretty penny due to minting mishaps. The Coin Collecting Wizard turned to TikTok to showcase two distinct £2 coins and a 50p piece that are valued significantly above their face value because of these quirks.
The first anomaly pertains to £2 coins from 2015. "Everyone is being urged to carry out a simple test for the error that could make the coin much more valuable," the expert suggested.
To spot this, one should flip the coin - if the 'Two Pounds' text on the tail side is inverted when compared to Queen Elizabeth II's effigy, you might be in luck. Another coveted £2 coin is the Lord Kitchener World War 1 centenary coin, with over five million struck in 2014.
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This particular coin features Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener and the famous recruitment slogan, 'Your Country Needs You' on its reverse. A missing 'Two Pounds' inscription beneath the Queen's profile on the front could indicate that your coin is worth up to £1,000 at auction.
The wizard also highlighted a similar rotational mistake on the Benjamin Bunny 50p from the 2017 Beatrix Potter collection. "The same rule applies when looking out for this error," he affirmed.
Indeed, if the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the front does not line up with the character depiction on the back, then your coin may be extremely desirable to collectors.
Earlier in the week, another numismatic specialist called attention to a rare new £2 coin that's already commanding an impressive £250 on auction sites, despite not yet being in widespread circulation. The coin commemorates author George Orwell and is distinctive for its design featuring an eye and the chilling phrase 'Big Brother is watching you' from his celebrated novel "1984".
On January 20, during a Royal Mint Experience event where visitors could strike their own coin, several were minted with a clearly erroneous edge inscription. Coin Collector UK took to TikTok to share the find: "£250 for a newly discovered error coin. Yesterday approximately 60 error £2 coins were produced at the Royal Mint with the incorrect edge inscription. Collectors who visited the Royal Mint Experience yesterday for their strike your owns were quick to notice an error on their new £2."
The TikToker further explained the mix-up by saying: "Every £2 coin has different edge lettering relating to the design. And the old flora blanks were still being used from the previous day. This meant that George Orwell was stamped on £2 coins with the incorrect edge inscription reading, 'in servitio omnium' instead of 'there was truth and there was untruth'."