A rare coin expert has unveiled some hidden treasures that might be jingling in your pocket, and they could be worth a pretty penny more than their face value.
TikTok user, Coin Collecting Wizard has shared insights into minting errors that can make specific £2 and 50p coins highly sought after by collectors. In a video, he began by highlighting a “rotation error” found on certain 2015 £2 coins.
“Everyone is being urged to carry out a simple test for the error that could make the coin much more valuable,” he advised. If you flip the coin and the “Two Pounds” inscription on the back is upside down relative to Queen Elizabeth II’s bust, then you may be quids in.
Another potentially lucrative £2 find is the Lord Kitchener World War 1 centenary coin released in 2014. The coin features The coin features an image on the reverse of Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, along with the quote, ‘Your Country Needs You’.
Over five million were struck, but ones lacking the ‘Two Pounds’ inscription beneath Her Majesty’s head on the obverse side could fetch £1,000 at auction.
The coin expert ended his reveal with another rotation fault, this time concerning the Benjamin Bunny 50p from the popular Beatrix Potter series minted in 2017. He stated: “The same rule applies when looking out for this error.”
If the bust of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse side of the coin doesn’t line up with the character image on the reverse, then your coin could be a hot commodity among collectors.
Earlier this week, meanwhile, another expert encouraged Brits to keep an eye out for a highly rare new coin already fetching £250 on auction web sites. Although not in circulation yet, the coin might eventually find its way into your loose change.
The coin in question is a £2 piece celebrating the works of author George Orwell, featuring an eye on the reverse and the phrase ‘Big Brother is watching you’, a nod to his novel, 1984. However, on January 20, several of these coins were minted with a noticeable error – the inscription along the edge of the coin was incorrect.
This happened during a Royal Mint Experience tour where attendees were invited to strike their own coin. Coin Collector UK elaborated on TikTok: “£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.”
He went on to explain: “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’.”