Coin collectors hunt for rare Paddington 50p coins as one sells for £410 on eBay
COIN collectors are desperate to snap up a rare 50p featuring Paddington bear.
Dozens are listed by sellers on auction website eBay, with one appearing to sell for £410.
The coin features the Tower of London and is one of two Paddington bear coins released last month. The second coin features the much-loved character in front of St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
It’s unclear how many of the coins have been released into circulation and the Royal Mint are unable to confirm mintage numbers until the end of the year.
But Paddington coins have proved popular with collectors since they were launched last month.
The listing for Paddington 50p Tower of London coin has 22 bids – but it’s unclear whether the seller has been paid for the coin as eBay cannot force bidders to cough up cash.
Other Paddington coins have been sold for £90, while some have gone for £8 each.
When the coins launched last month, a limited number of uncirculated coins were sold for £10 on the Royal Mint website.
These are still legal tender – so can be used in shops – but because they have a higher price tag it’s unlikely they will end up in circulation.
The Royal Mint also released 25,000 silver proof editions, costing £65 each, as well as 600 gold coins for £850.
Today is has released some more brilliant uncirulated coins so collectors can snap them up.
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Last year, two new Paddington 50p coins going into circulation featuring the bear waving a flag outside Buckingham Palace and sitting on a suitcase at his namesake train station were launched.
One of the coins sold for £16,000 after a student found a leaked one in her change before it came out and sold it on eBay.
Last year, marked the 60th anniversary of the first ever Paddington Bear book being published by author Michael Bond.
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