Brits are being encouraged to rummage through their loose change for any £2 coins that might be worth a small fortune due to a specific minting error. A coin expert, who goes by the name UK Coin Collector on TikTok, has highlighted that coins with a “rotation error” could fetch upwards of £200 from collectors.
This error occurs when an image on the coin is facing in the “wrong direction”, which can affect either the monarch’s portrait or the design on the reverse side. The expert showcased a 2002 £2 coin as an example in his video, where he addressed his more than 62,000 followers to ask: “Would you pay over £200 for this £2 coin? I’ll do my best to explain why it’s on the market for that much money.”
He continued: “So this is a Wales Commonwealth Games two pound coin from 2002. By the way, it’s not my coin that’s up for sale, it’s somebody else’s that has exactly the same as this one.”
He then pointed out the unique feature of the coin, saying: “And what makes this one special and rare is, it has a rotation error on it as you can see there, the Queen’s head is pointing in the wrong direction. Instead of pointing at three o’clock as she does on all the coins, she’s facing the wrong direction. That’s known as a rotation error, currently on the market for £225.”
Specialists at Check Your Change highlighted that rotation errors are highly sought after by UK collectors, with the most extreme examples being the most valuable. According to their website: “Die rotation errors are very rare for pre 2008 coins, but are known to exist for many modern coins. The more severe the rotation, the more desirable the resultant coin.”
They added: “The most desirable die rotation error coins are ones where there is a 180 degree difference between both sides. Values for die rotation errors can vary from as low as a few times face value to hundreds or even (on very rare occasions) thousands of pounds, depending on the severity, rarity and how much people are prepared to pay to own it.”