Your £2 coin could be worth eight times its value if it has a ‘weird smudge’ in the top right corner
YOUR £2 coin could be worth eight times its value if it has a “weird smudge” in the top right corner.
The Navy £2 coin was minted in 2015 to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.
It shows a Royal Navy dreadnought cruising across the North Sea, and a biplane flying in the clear skies behind it.
When the coin was first released, collectors thought there were two different versions.
Most coins showed the warship sailing with a bare mast – but some appeared to include a flag at the top.
But this flag was in fact just a “smudge” introduced during the minting process.
Change Checker’s Kate Morgan told The Sun: “Collectors speculated that two different designs were struck.
“But it was later confirmed as a striking error caused by a cracked die.”
It is unknown how many of the “error” coins are in circulation, but Kate says it is worth checking your pockets to see if you have one.
The worth of these coins varies across eBay, with one going for a fiver on earlier this year and another later selling for £15.85 – nearly eight times its face value.
How to sell rare and valuable coins
There are two main ways you can sell rare coins – through eBay or at auction.
If you want to sell the coin you’ve found in your spare change on eBay then you need to know the risks.
Remember to set a minimum price that is higher or at the very least equal to the face value of the coin.
Even if your coin “sells” on eBay for a high price there’s no guarantee that the buyer will cough out.
In its terms and conditions, the auction website states that bidders enter a “legally binding contract to purchase an item”, but there’s no way to enforce this rule in reality.
The most eBay can do is add a note to their account of the unpaid item or remove their ability to bid and buy.
This is because in order to sign up to the website users do not need to put in valid bank or PayPal details before making a bid.
If a bidder refuses to pay, then the only option for sellers is to give “second chance offers” to other bidders or re-list the item.
For items of a high value eBay recommends that sellers put a limit on their listing to approve bidders.
It means bidders must email you before placing a bid but not that they must pay out the cash if they win.
If you’ve got a coin that you would like to sell at auction then you can contact a member of the British Numismatic Trade Association.
They usually deal in very old coins but they may be able to help you assess whether it’s worth selling your coin at auction or whether it would be valuable to collector.
They’ll usually charge you a fee for the service or take a percentage of the sale money.
You’ll often have to visit them in person with the coin in order for them to assess it.
Helpfully you can sort the members according the county where they are based.