A rare 20p coin has sold for a staggering £1,400 at an auction due to being produced with a “spectacular error”.
The coin, which was printed in 1990, was created for a British overseas territory before being pulled from circulation due to its poor quality.
Sold at Tennants Auctioneers’ in Harrogate this summer, the piece of change was struck in copper-plated steel blank.
Coin collector Alan Barker is believed to have picked up the unique coin on eBay in December 2017 for only £50.
A few months later, the coin was confirmed to be genuine by the Royal Mint who provided it with a letter of accreditation.
Read more… Sought-after 50p coin sells for over £300 – check if you have a rare coin
Tennants originally expected the blemished coin to reach at least £1,200 when it was put up for sale.
During the auction, several other impressive pieces of currency were put under the hammer which sold well.
These included a George VI, ‘Coronation’ gold proof set, from 1937, which sold at the sale for £11,000.
This particular four coins collection included a £5, double sovereign, sovereign and half sovereign.
The set came in a Royal Mint red leather case with a GRVI monogram, which is the King’s royal cypher.
Furthermore, the words “specimen coins 1937” were featured prominently in gilt lettering and it is just one of 5,001 that were created.
Will Dobbins, Tennants Auctioneers’ coin cataloguer, shared his surprise at how successful the sale went.
He explained: “This was a really good sale overall, selling 98 percent of the lots offered, and we were delighted to achieve such strong results for our vendors.
“Of particular interest was a 1966 Pattern Crown Minted in sterling silver, it was designed by Anthony Foley and was one of only 100 struck.
“This pattern features the conjoined busts of Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth II, with a striking image of Britannia hurling thunderbolts on the reverse.
“ It exceeded the presale estimate of £1,000 to 1,500 to achieve a hammer price of £2,300.”
