People have been urged to search through their wallets and piggy banks for an unusual misprinted coin that could be worth hundreds. “Egg error” coins, which could be £1 or £2 coins, can sell for up to £600 to collectors.
The coins do not need to be from a specific date but only apply to £1 and £2 coins that are still in circulation. They are referred to as “egg errors” because of the way the gold rim of the coin “leaks” into the usually silver-coloured centre.
In a video uploaded to social media platform TikTok by the Coin Collector UK, which specialises in rare UK coins, he detailed what to look for. Speaking to his more than 130,000 followers, he said: “Egg error coins are extremely rare and valuable.
“They can be found on one pound and two pound coins in your change, but they are very hard to come across. It’s called an egg error because the coin looks like a fried egg.
“The outer gold part has leaked into the inner silver or vice versa. Collectors who specialise in errors will pay hundreds of pounds to get their hands on these rare pieces.”
(Image: Getty)
He revealed that two egg error coins recently sold for more than £100 each. “These were regular definitive designs,” the expert said.
However, if you find an egg error in a coin that is rare to begin with, it could be worth even more. He continued: “Commemorative egg errors sell for even more money.
“Here’s a Mayflower one which was only released in collector sets. It sold a few years ago for a crazy price of £600. That’s 300 times its face value.
“So, next time you get given a bimetallic coin in your change, always check it for this extremely rare and valuable error.”
At the time of publication a number of egg error coins could be found for sale on eBay. One, from 2018, has been listed starting at £750.
Another, which has been verified by the Royal Mint, has been listed for a whopping £3,000. According to Coin Hunter, the Royal Mint Museum offers an error coin appraisal service.
This process involves sending images of your coin for checking and then a payment of £20 if your coin is accepted as a likely Royal Mint produced error. In return you will receive a Royal Mint coin authentication letter.