BRITS are being urged to check their loose change after a rare coin has sold for 2,000 times its value at auction.
The Brexit-themed 50p issued in 2020 was hailed as a “sought-after” collectible before it was snapped up on eBay.
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The coin carries a message of world peace and the official European Union withdrawal date of 31 January, 2020 stamped across it.
It is the only official coin to commemorate the historic and controversial moment.
According to Changechecker.org, the coin is common, and 10,001,000 were issued by The Royal Mint at the time.
However, the 50p sold for an eye-watering £1,226.72 after it went up for auction.
The simple design features the words: “Peace, prosperity, and friendship with all nations.”
Another seller is also flogging the same coin for £2,999 and 22 people are watching the listing at the time of writing.
This comes after another Brexit 50p was revealed to be worth as much as £40,000 at auction thanks to a tiny detail.
It carries the same design, except this one has the original date that Brexit was supposed to take place – October 31, 2019.
When it was delayed, the coins with 2019 on the front were supposed to be melted down but some made it into circulation.
TikToker Coin Collecting Wizard explained to his followers: “This is the Brexit 50p, released as a 50p, to mark the UK leaving the EU.
“But did you know the Royal Mint accidentally printed a batch.
“Some coins were originally struck in 2019 for the first Brexit deadline but when Brexit was delayed, those coins were supposed to be scrapped.
“A few slipped through with the original 2019 date and because they were never officially released, they’re insanely rare. We’re talking only a few known to exist.”
Only two of the coins have so far come to light – so if you have one, you could be sitting on a goldmine.
How to spot valuable items
COMMENTS 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.
One lucky seller managed to flog theirs for a whopping £40,000.
The TikToker joked: “Don’t spend it. You might be holding a coin worth more than a car.”
A third version of the coin was also minted to mark the first proposed Brexit date of March 29, 2019.
The March coins were also recycled after the updated deadline – with any surviving coins potentially worth in the tens of thousands.
Most rare and valuable 50p coins
WE reveal the Royal Mint’s most rare and valuable 50p coins in circulation.
Triathlon
Minted in 2011, the Triathlon 50p depicts the same sport which featured in the 2012 Olympics.
There are more than 1,160,000 of the coins in circulation.
With over 200million 50ps circulating in the UK, that makes this coin quite a rare find.
The highest recent sale we’ve found on eBay recently was £30 on June 21.
Judo
Judo is a popular sport that involves grappling with your opponent.
But despite the design, it’s not so easy to get a hold of this coin, of which there are just 1,161,500 in circulation.
The piece was designed by David Cornell after he won a national competition.
It was minted in 2011 and the highest bid we’ve seen on eBay was for £17.95 on June 21.
Wrestling
Wrestling was one of the first Olympic sports so it’s not surprising that it features on one of the 50p pieces.
The 2011 coin was designed by Roderick Enriquez, a graphic designer from Hammersmith, London.
We’ve seen it sell for as much as £15 online so is worth digging around for.
In recent months, one was sold on eBay for £11.95 on June 18.
Football
Of all the coins created to commemorate the 2012 Olympic Games, the 50p Football is among the rarest.
It features an explanation of the controversial offside rule on it, with 1,125,000 produced.
One sold for £20 on eBay on June 11, although it has been known to go for as much as £75 in the past.
Kew Gardens
The Kew Gardens 50p is the rarest of all the 50p pieces, with only 210,000 in circulation.
They have been known to sell for as much as £895 on eBay before.
The design was created by Christopher Le Brun RA and features the famous Chinese Pagoda with a leafy chamber that twists around the tower.
The coin often sparks the interest of new coin collectors due to its rarity.
The highest sale we found in recent weeks was £142 on June 22 with 23 bids.
And this isn’t the only 50p that can bring in a small fortune.
If you think that you might have a rare coin then it’s worth checking with an expert to see if yours could sell for a hefty price tag.
The most valuable coins are usually those with a low mintage or an error.
These are often deemed the most valuable by collectors.
You can check how much the coin is selling for on eBay by searching the full name of the coin, selecting the “sold” listing and then toggling the search to “highest value”.
It will give you an idea of the amount of money that the coin is going for.
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