A rare 50p Paddington Bear coin has been spotted on eBay for a staggering £10,000 – but a coin expert has urged people to be wary of purchasing ‘rare’ coins online
A 50p coin has been put up for sale for an eyewatering £10,000 – despite there being 9million in circulation. The Paddington Bear 50p coin was issued by the Royal Mint in 2018 in commemoration of the iconic character. The coin has an image of Paddington Bear standing outside St Paul’s Cathedral as he tips his hat, as part of the Paddington series.
The eBay seller from Woodbridge has listed the ‘rare’ coin for a staggering £10K. The design was issued by the Royal Mint to continue the celebrations of the 60th Anniversary of the British Bear – and features a design of Paddington based on the CGI-live action movie.
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The coins shows Paddington continuing his adventures at the ornate St. Paul’s Cathedral as well as others showing him at the Tower of London, his namesake train station and with the guards outside Buckingham Palace.
It was designed by David Knapton and the intricate engraving of Paddington in his famous hat outside the London landmark is one of the iconic 5p designs. On the reverse is Jody Clark’s 5th Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, reports Plymouth Live.
According to The Westminster Collection, the 2018 Paddington 50p coin releases proved to be some of the “most popular 50p coins of the year”.
More than 35 million books in the Paddington series have been sold worldwide, with plays, musicals, and animated series also being created of the famous bear as well as the coins which are being listed for a huge mark-up.
The Coincollectingwizard – a rare coins expert said: “A Paddington Bear 50p selling for thousands – is this coin secretly worth a fortune People are listing these for £20,000 to £30,000 – what is going on here? Let’s break it down before you start digging through your change.
“The Paddington Bear 50p was released in 2018 and 2019 to celebrate 60 years of Paddington. There are four different designs featuring everyone’s favourite, marmalade-loving bear. There were over 5million minted and sent out into the wild for people to find in their change.
“So, how much is this coin really worth? Well, brace yourselves – it’s just 50p. Yep, despite the crazy eBay prices, these are common coins with no hidden treasure value. And here’s the truth – people can list them for any price, but that doesn’t mean they’re selling for that much. Always check sold listings for the real value. If you see a listing asking for thousands, it’s just someone hoping for a clueless buyer to fall for the trap. Don’t be that buyer.”
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