Latest news with #coinCollectors
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Specific error on ultra-rare 50p coin means it's sold for 150 times more than its value – is there one in your pocket?
A 50p coin with a specific error has sold at auction for a whopping 150 times its original value. The rare coin was minted with a mistake which makes it very valuable to collectors. 3 It was sold for £315.16 following an online bidding war between six bidders hoping to nab the rare coin. The Olympic swimmer 50p has one tiny mistake that boosts its value more than 100 times. Part of the London Olympic commemorative collection the minting error appears on the tails face of the 50p. Without the minting error the coin is only worth its face value. The rare 50p sold at auction depicts an Olympic swimmer mid stroke with water passing around their head. Minted ahead of the London Olympics it is one of 29 commemorative designs created for the games. When it was minted in 2011 a minor mistake was made resulting in a batch of the coins being slightly different to the others. Most of the coins show a swimmer with a clear, smooth face but around 600 were affected by an error that makes them super rare. On the rare version of the coin the wave lines pass through the swimmers face giving the smooth image a ridged texture. Collector's editions of the coins could have the rare misprint and fetch a much higher price. Coins with low mintages and errors are more valuable because there are less of them in circulation. The rarer a coin is the more valuable it becomes to collectors. What makes a coin rare? One of the most popular types of coins to collect are 50p pieces. This is because of their large surface area, as there is enough spaces to add new and intricate designs on. With a 27.5mm diameter, it's the biggest British coin and is used to celebrate big occasions, anniversaries, and historical events. Errors make a coin unique which means they will most likely be worth more, as there a fewer of them. Even without a misprint, if a coin has a low mintage there are fewer of them in circulation and so are deemed rare. As a general rule of thumb, the rarer the coin the more valuable they are to collectors.
The Sun
10-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Minor detail to spot on ultra-rare 1p coin listed on eBay for £120,000 – do you have one in your piggy bank?
COIN collectors have been urged to check their piggy bank for an ultra-rare 1p coin. The coin, with just one minor detail, is currently being listed on eBay for a life-changing sum. A TikTok user recently claimed the 1933 George V penny was up for sale on the site for £120,000. In the video, they said: "Generations of people searched through their change in the hope of finding one." At the time of posting, they revealed bidding had reached as high as £90,000. But you'll have to check your pennies carefully as the odds of finding one are extremely slim. According to experts, only six or seven were ever made. This is because the banks had such a large stock of pennies in 1933 they didn't strike any more for general circulation. However, there was a convention at the time that complete sets of coins of the current year were buried underneath the foundation stones of new buildings. Three 1933 pennies were struck for buildings that year as well as a small number of copies for the British Museum and Royal Mint Museum. With no record of the precise number of coins minted, it seemed possible one might turn up for everyday use prompting generations to search for the valuable penny. One was placed beneath the University of London's Senate House, where it remains today while another was stolen from a Leeds church in 1970. The coin features King George V on one side and a seated Britannia on the other. But coin experts have warned that fakes of the penny are common with criminals trying to cash in by creating fakes. Many also mistakenly believe that are in possession of the rare 1933 penny when in fact, it is likely to be the far more common 1936 penny. If you don't find one in your piggy bank there are other rare coins to be on the look out for. Only recently, an ultra-rare 1p coin from 1954 appeared at auction with a reserve price of £90,000. Other coins also rake in the cash with a 2p with the wording "New Pence" instead of "Two pence" at a value of around £1,000. Some 2012 Olympic 50p coins featuring a cartoon-style high jumper have also been sold for £142 and £216. A rare misprint of the same coin with horizontal lines has fetched up to £3,000. Even £2 coins with a cat design could be worth 100 times their face value so there's plenty of reason to sort through any loose change. How to spot valuable items COMMENT by Consumer Editor, Alice Grahns: It's easy to check if items in your attic are valuable. As a first step, go on eBay to check what other similar pieces, if not the same, have sold for recently. Simply search for your item, filter by 'sold listings' and toggle by the highest value. This will give you an idea of how much others are willing to pay for it. The method can be used for everything ranging from rare coins and notes to stamps, old toys, books and vinyl records - just to mention a few examples. For coins, online tools from change experts like Coin Hunter are also helpful to see how much it could be worth. Plus, you can refer to Change Checker's latest scarcity index update to see which coins are topping the charts. For especially valuable items, you may want to enlist the help of experts or auction houses. Do your research first though and be aware of any fees for evaluating your stuff. As a rule of thumb, rarity and condition are key factors in determining the value of any item. You're never guaranteed to make a mint, however.
