You could have a rare 20p error coin worth up to £65 lurking in your wallet
YOU could cash in on a whopping £65 if you notice a certain coin lurking in your change.
The rare 20p coin is estimated to now be worth 325 times its original face value making it one of the most sought-after pieces.
The coin grabbing collectors’ attention is the undated 20p which has been made with the error of having no year engraved into it.
Collectors have been known to search far and wide for the coin ever since it entered circulation in 2008.
And bidders have battled to get their hands on the rare coin – but how much it is actually worth was previously unknown.
Now Change Checker has revealed the true value of the error coin with its new eBay Tracker, which takes the last nine sold prices on eBay and gives the median price achieved.
This is because a coin is only worth as much as people are willing to pay for it.
The tracker valued the coin at a whopping £64 marking a 28% increase since its last update in June.
This shows the undated 20p is high in demand as bidders are increasing their stakes.
Change Checker said: “The undated 20p is often thought of as the ‘holy grail of change collecting’, as it’s not been confirmed just how many of these error coins made it into circulation.
“As one of the most sought-after coins, it’s at the top of many collectors’ wish lists, and some are willing to pay up to £64 to get their hands on one.”
The undated 20p became the first coin in 300 years to enter circulation without a date.
According to the Royal Mint’s website the coin is still legal tender – so you can use it in shops.
That means you could easily have one fall into your spare change and not notice.
While the coin is valued at £64 it has been known to sell on eBay for as much as £150 in the past.
On October 7 it received a total of 23 bids from eight buyers, upping the bid each day for over a week until finally it sold for a whopping £70.
Since October prices have generally increased with the coin being listed and sold for £90 on December 12.
One listing currently sits at £225 – but there is no guarantee someone will actually pay this much for it.
However, there is a chance that the coin’s value could increase even further as the tracker reveals it has climbed a whole £14 since June.
And the undated 20p is not the only coin which has increased in value.
Change Checker's eBay Tracker for December 2024
The coins which have increased in value since June 2024:
- Rarest 50p (2023 Salmon) – £83.60 – up £69.10
- 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p – £6.70 – up £1.60
- 2019 World Wide Web 10p – £6 – up £1.50
- Undated 20p – £64 – up £14
- 92/93 EEC 50p – £37.50 – up 55p
The coins which have decreased in value since June 2024:
- Rarest Olympic 50p (Football) – £14.50 – down £2.39
- Rarest £2 (NI Commonwealth Games) – £31.55 – down £1.45
- Kew Gardens 50p – £142 – down £3
The eBay tracker shows that the King Charles III Salmon 50p has increased in value by a whopping £69.10 since June.
It comes after Royal Mint revealed the Salmon coin is the rarest 50p, dethroning the valuable Kew Gardens piece.
While the Kew Gardens 50p is still rated as more expensive at £142 the tracker notes that it has decreased in value by £3 since June.
Other coins which have decreased in value include the Rarest Olympic 50p and the Rarest £2.
Remember that a coin is only worth as much as someone is willing to buy it.
If you’re ever unsure of how much a coin should be sold for, it helps to look at what prices other people are listing.
You can also run it through Change Checker’s Scarcity Index to get a sense of its value.
Below we provide some tips on how to get the most out of selling a rare coin.
How to sell a rare coin
Coin sellers typically turn to Facebook, eBay or selling in an auction when trading off their rare finds.
However, using Facebook to buy a piece can come with multiple risks attached.
Scammers have been known to ask the buyer to pay the money for the purchase upfront so they can also pay for a courier.
But when the parcel is due to arrive the courier never turns up.
To stop this from happening it’s much better to meet your seller in person.
Avoid using payment links and make sure you’re meeting in a public and safe spot.
Auctions are typically your best bet for making a successful purchase.
You can organise this through the Royal Mint collectors service which will provide a team of experts who can authenticate and value your coin.
This service does come with a fee though – so many prefer to use eBay.
On eBay, you can look at what other people are selling the coin for to get a sense of what price you should list it as.
For example, if you have an undated 20p in good condition and other people are selling it for more than £65 – then it’s worth trying to sell it for that price too.
How to spot valuable items
COMMENTS by Consumer Editor, Alice Grahns:
It’s easy to check if items in your attic are valuable.
As a first step, go on eBay to check what other similar pieces, if not the same, have sold for recently.
Simply search for your item, filter by “sold listings” and toggle by the highest value.
This will give you an idea of how much others are willing to pay for it.
The method can be used for everything ranging from rare coins and notes to stamps, old toys, books and vinyl records – just to mention a few examples.
For coins, online tools from change experts like Coin Hunter are also helpful to see how much it could be worth.
Plus, you can refer to Change Checker’s latest scarcity index update to see which coins are topping the charts.
For especially valuable items, you may want to enlist the help of experts or auction houses.
Do your research first though and be aware of any fees for evaluating your stuff.
As a rule of thumb, rarity and condition are key factors in determining the value of any item.
You’re never guaranteed to make a mint, however.
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