I bought 50p coin for £4k & it’s so rare I thought it was fake – people like me WILL pay big bucks for your change
A RARE 50p coin has sold for a whopping £4,500 due to a unique mistake.
The Gibraltar 50p was sold to a private collector after The Britannia Coin Company had the coin authenticated by The Numismatic Guarantee Company.
It features a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II on the heads side, along with the date 1990.
The design on the other side of this coin is Christmas-themed, showing a little choir boy and a puppy.
The Sun revealed the error last week when experts were forced to gain a second opinion due to fears that the coin could be fake.
Fortunately, the coin was found to be authentic with its value deriving from a rare mint error.
The chorister design which can usually be found on coins produced and dated in 1989 means that the heads and tail sides are mismatched.
Manufacturing mistakes like these have resulted in ‘mules’, some of which have resulted in rare modern coins that could be discovered at any moment.
Based in Royal Wootton Bassett, The Britannia Coin Company sold the Christmas themed coin on behalf of a private seller.
A choir boy and a puppy have been etched into the 50p which is rarer than the well-known 2009 Kew Gardens coin of the same value that often sells for £250 online.
The Britannia Coin Company has urged others to check their spare change as there is likely to be more of this particular type of coin in circulation.
“This coin is one of the rarest modern coins out there,” says Christopher Collects, a coin expert, YouTuber and employee of The Britannia Coin Company.
“These non-UK 50ps are already rarer than the ones we are used to seeing in our change.
“As this is the only example of this particular manufacturing mistake that has been found so far, this coin is one of the rarest modern coins out there.
“Since the error has only just been discovered, nobody has been looking for it so there could definitely be more.”
Whilst Christopher feared the coin could be a fake when he first saw it, the 50p has now been authenticated and can be viewed in The Numismatic Guarantee Company’s online register of authenticated coins.
Christopher added: “I got a second opinion from the experts as they are specialists in rare coins and authenticated the Gibraltar 50p as a real mint error.
“That’s why it’s in a protective case with a unique reference number, because it was added to their database.”
Mint error coins are not limited to this value coin with The Royal Mint releasing around 250,000 20ps into circulation without a date printed in 2008.
There are a number of old coins that are worth money so it is worth keeping an eye on websites such as eBay if any in your pocket are valuable.
Other examples of mint error coins where a problem occurred in the manufacturing process are undated 20ps.
In 2008, The Royal Mint released about 250,000 20ps into circulation without a date on the coin.
Today, these error coins can sell for more than £100.
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- Most rare and valuable 50p coins in circulation
- Rare and most valuable 20p coins that could be worth up to £750
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Elsewhere, there is a rare Victorian One Penny which punters can sell for £600.
A coin enthusiast, who goes by the name of coincollectingwizard on TikTok, revealed images of rarely spotted change that could bag you hundreds of pounds.
The ancient coin features Rev Britannia, a character believed to represent the spirit of the British nation, seated holding a branch and scepter and a shield by her side.
On the sides of the coin it reads One Penny and at the bottom it is dated 1983.
The reverse of the coin is the usual Queen Victoria bun head, which is a feature on many coins from this era.
The Sun has previously published a list of rare 2p coins that could be worth up to £900.
We’ve also updated our list of the rarest and most valuable 50p pieces in circulation, including Olympics coins worth more than £200.