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An ultra-rare coin has sold for £1,700 at auction. The coin – which is a super-rare 25p piece – was handed out in change by accident and is the exact same shape as the normal 20p, with less than 50 believed to be out there in circulation.
The coin was auctioned in Wiltshire, where experts valued it at between £500 and £700. The coin is in the same shape as an ordinary 20p, meaning it can easily be confused with a regular coin – however, this is actually a “trial piece” or “pattern coin” that was released by Royal Mint in 1982 before the 20p was in existence.
The coin is made from nickel brass and went under the hammer at RWB Auctions in Royal Wootton Bassett. It is thought to have been made by Royal Mint craftspeople before the 20p denomination was released into circulation in 1982.
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At the time, authorities had not decided whether the coin would be worth 20p or 25p. YouTube content creator Christopher Collects, who works for RWB Auctions, said: “20p coins are a fixture in our change now, but the Royal Mint seems to have experimented with various ideas before they settled on the seven-sided coin we all recognise.
“Trial pieces would have been used to demonstrate the concept of a new coin to officials and may have been sent out to businesses that handle lots of cash to try out. This trial coin could easily be mistaken for a 20p.”
The 25p coin is just one coin that was being sold off in the auction as part of a “specialist sale of historic and modern currency”. The auction house, which opened in the town’s High Street in January, previously sold a scarce Lord Kitchener £2 for £1,000 and an unusual Olympics 50p for £1,500.
