A COIN-collecting expert has said Brits could be sitting a goldmine of old currency.
TikToker CoinCollectingWizard highlighted three coins – one of which is still in active circulation – which could collectively be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Among your loose change could be coins worth a fortune to collectors[/caption]
1933 penny
The first, the 1933 penny, is one of the UK’s rarest coins and is worth well over £100,000.
The exact number minted is unknown, but it is believed only six or seven 1933 pennies were ever made, as that year the Royal Mint decided there were enough pennies in circulation.
However, it was tradition for the monarch to put a set of new coins underneath the foundations of any important new buildings.
That meant a handful were struck for ceremonial purposes.
The coin’s rarity attracted the attention of criminals and in August 1970 thieves raided the coins buried beneath the foundation stone of the Church of St Cross, Middleton, near Leeds.
That prompted the bishop of nearby St Mary’s Church in Kirkstall to have the coins under his church dug up to be sold.
The third and final penny is buried somewhere under Senate House at the University of London in Bloomsbury.
At auction the 1933 pennies have sold for over £100,000.
Neil Paisley, managing director of AH Baldwin & Sons, told the YouTuber Tom Scott that one sold in 2016 for a hammer price of approximately £140,000.
The penny’s value has also frequently led to counterfeit attempts, with people attempting to change the 5s to 3s on the more common 1935 penny.
The Coin Collecting Wizard said: “Be careful, many fakes are out there. If you think you’ve got one, get it authenticated.”
1905 half crown
The second coin mentioned by the TikTok coin enthusiast is the 1905 half crown.
Only 166,008 were minted, which puts their value between £450 and £10,000 depending on condition
The coin is made of silver and features a portrait view of King Edward VII on one side and a shield on the other.
While few members of the public are likely to have a 1905 half crown buried in the bottom of the wallet or down the back of the sofa, the third coin is one the average person is much more likely to run into.
What are the most rare and valuable coins?
The most valuable coin of all-time
The 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle – $18.9 million. The current record for the world’s most expensive coin. It is illegal to own. The only publicly traded example sold for $18.9 million in 2021.
The rarest coin of all-time
The 1343 Edward III Florin – also known as the “Double Leopard”, it was minted during King Edward III’s reign in medieval England and only three examples are known to exist today.
2p – ‘NEW PENCE’
The two pence coin was introduced in the UK in 1971. It was printed with the words ‘NEW PENCE’ on it until 1982, when it was changed to ‘TWO PENCE’.
However in 1983 a number of coins were accidentally issued with the previous ‘NEW PENCE’ wording.
Those 1983 two pences pieces with the ‘new’ markings are now worth upwards of £1,000.
It comes after a rare 50p coin with iconic childhood character was sold on eBay for 14 times its face value.
A Peter Rabbit coin fetched nearly £2,500 recently.
