It’s time to check in your pockets, purses, wallets or down the back of the couch because you never know if you might be in possession of a rare coin that is worth hundreds. Recently, a 2p coin fetched its owner well more than its face value, thanks to some unusual features. Rare 2p coin The coin was put up for sale on eBay and attracted 33 bids from interested collectors. Its condition was listed as “okay” and “used” but that didn’t deter coin enthusiasts from putting their bid in. The winning bid for the 1983 2p coin was for £301, and the bidding war stopped at around 12pm on 3 February. Why is the coin rare? While at first glance the coin might look like any other 2p coin you might find down the back of the sofa, it’s actually pretty rare. Between 1971 and 1981, all 2p coins had the words “New Pence” inscribed on them, but in 1982 the Royal Mint decided to amend this to say “Two Pence” instead. After this decision was made, in 1983 The Royal Mint accidentally produced a small number of coins that bore the old inscription of “New Pence” instead of “Two Pence”. Originally, these coins were included in special sets for collectors, but it appears that some of them have made their way into wider circulation over time. What to look out for The key features you’re looking out for on your 2p coin are: The year has to be 1983It has to say “New Pence”, not “Two Pence” If it doesn’t have both of these features then unfortunately your 2p coin probably won’t fetch you much.
