AN ULTRA-RARE error on a 50p coin has skyrocketed its value – you might have one in your wallet.
The Benjamin bunny coin is one of four 50p coins that were released in 2017 to celebrate famed author Beatrix Potter – coins with Peter Rabbit, Tom Kitten and Jeremy Fisher on were also released as part of the collection.
TikTok account CoinCollectingWizard instructed viewers to keep their eyes peeled for the lucrative coin.
He said: “If the Queen is upside down on your 50p coin then it’s worth ‘big money’. This 50p is an error all because the design is facing the wrong way.
“The error that’s left the Queen’s head in a different direction on the obverse design of the Benjamin Bunny on the reverse will have happened in the minting process.”
He added: “When you flip it round, the Queen should be facing the same way Benjamin Bunny. If the Queen is facing any other way, then you have found a rare rotation error worth money.
“Error coins are still legal tender so long as the original coin is still in circulation too.”
The influencer added: “That means you can easily come across one in your change.
“Often times error coins can sell for a lot more than their face value. So this is definitely something you need to be looking for as it can be easily missed.”
Concluding the video, he advised coin fans to take a closer look at the Benjamin Bunny 50p coin and said: “Flip that rabbit over and check the Queen.”
25 million of the coins were minted, so alone it won’t usually go for much more than £2.60.
But finding one with a mistake is rare, though it does make the coins more desirable at the same time, especially as they’re produced in low numbers.
Often times error coins will sell for a lot more than their face value.
In April a rare £1 sold for £155 because it had upside down writing on its side.
Plus in February last year, another mis-struck £1 coin was sold for £112 as it had an error that left the silver-coloured inner part of the pound looking like a fried egg.
Error coins are still legal tender – so long as the original coin is still in circulation too.
That means you could easily come across one in your change.
Get an imperfect coin verified by the Royal Mint, and you could then place a value on yours if you come to sell.
It will also let you know if your change is legitimate or not as unfortunately there are many fake coins in circulation.
Online tools from change experts like Coin Hunter are helpful to see how much it could be worth too.
Plus, the number of bids on the listing can help you establish that the coin is the real deal as well.
The Benjamin bunny error coin only had two bids placed on the listing, so many coin experts will be skeptical of whether it actually sold for the price it said it had.
Also remember that if you’re selling on eBay, you need to keep in mind that a buyer could pull out as well which means it won’t have sold for the price that it says it has.
