This 20p piece is “always” at the top of any coin collector’s wish list, an expert said.
An expert has urged people to check their wallets and coin jars for a seemingly ordinary 20 pence piece that could actually be worth up to £80. While this coin may look normal on first glance, it features a basic error – making it sought after by collectors across the UK.
In fact, this 20p is so in demand that it is known by some as the “holy grail” of coins. However, under a quarter of a million of these were minted back in 2008, meaning there is a chance they could show up in your change.
Speaking on social media platform TikTok, an expert known as the Coin Collecting Wizard explained more. He said: “Your shield 20 pence coin could be worth £50.”
But they are only valuable if they have a specific error – if they are missing the date. He continued: “It’s all to do with a die mix-up at the Royal Mint, causing the coin to have no date.
“This problem affected less than 250,000 coins of the 136 million 20p pieces minted in 2008 and was due to the previous obverse, the heads side, being used with the new reverse, the tails side design, meaning the year of issue did not feature at all.”
The coin collector elaborated on how in demand these coins are. “Considered by many as one of the holy grails of UK change collecting, the undated 20p is always at the top of any coin collector’s wish list,” he said.
“The Royal Mint has confirmed this is the first time in over 300 years that a coin had entered circulation without a date making it extremely sought after by coin collectors.” He referenced some sellers on eBay who had managed to get £79.99 for the coin, while others sold them for closer to £50.
He added: “As you can see from these eBay sold prices, the undated 20p is an easy sell for around £50, so always make sure to check those 20p coins.” Referencing this error coin, the Royal Mint said: “In November 2008 a number of 20p coins were incorrectly minted, resulting in the coins being undated.
“These coins remain legal tender and still have a face value of 20p.” At the time of reporting some accounts had listed these coins on eBay for £150 and £125.
