A COLLECTION of 50p coins have soared in price up to a whopping four figures all because of one tiny detail.
If you’re holding onto any of the Olympic coins make sure to check the design to see if it’s a limited edition Aquatics 50p piece.
There are thought to be 600 pieces of these coins misprinted in 2011 ahead of the London celebrations with each being worth more than just a pretty penny.
A coin expert with the YouTube handle Christopher Collects can vouch for the rare find.
In one of his videos he said: “The Aquatics 50p with the lines over the face is about as rare as UK 50p coins get.
“It would be the centerpiece of any 50p coin collection within what is already a really popular set of Olympic coins.”
These coins were printed with lines, mimicking water ripples, over the swimmers‘ head whereas her face was originally designed to be more visible.
The image was quickly changed when the Royal Mint modified the design, leaving only a few of these original coins in circulation.
This slight distortion has collectors battling over the limited edition piece, with one of the highest bidder spending £3,766 to take the precious coin home.
If you have discovered an Aquatic 50p behind in your back pocket, it’s still a part of the popular Olympic collection – but the misprinted one is a far more lucrative find.
Christopher Collects added: “It blows even the Kew Gardens 50p out of the water.”
The 2009 Kew Gardens 50p in question was another ‘rare find’ that had collectors quick to outbid each other on online auctions which have been sold for up to £142.
Other rare coins include a small mistake on Gruffalo’s Child 50p where the creature is depicted with three toes whilst the character in the original book has four.
The error can be spotted clearly in the Gruffalo’s Child’s pawprints as well.
These coins can are listed for £42.99 on eBay despite being first available for £12.99 – but this is pocket change in comparison with the Aquatic collection.
Some of the rare Olympic coins are going for £118 on eBay, but other are selling the error coin for thousands.
A coin expert known as CoinCollectingWizard shared a video describing the coin to his 191k followers.
He said: “People could benefit from checking their wallets and down the back of their sofa for this ultra rare 50p.
“One of the most exciting aspects is that no one knows exactly how many entered circulation before the changes were made.
“Only that numbers are extremely limited.”
