RARE coins can sell for thousands of times their face value – and it’s always worth seeing if you’ve got any lying about.
One coveted 2p coin garnered the interest of collectors across the world due to its unusual wording and sold for £700 at auction.
Going under the hammer at RWB Auctions on September 25, the copper sold for a whopping 35,000 times its original market value.
It is easily identified by three words as an error from the UK’s Royal Mint means that the 2p coin reads “new pence” instead of “two pence”.
Collectors say this subtle error was likely produced when an old die was used to strike the coin, and very few of these coins exist.
The handful of these coins can be found in sets produced in collaboration between The Royal Mint and Italian drinks company Martini & Rossi.
They were made as part of a promotional giveaway labelled ‘The Great British 1983 Coin Collection’ on the cover.
But although thousands of the sets were released, only a small number feature the rare 2p coin.
“It is worth checking old coin collections for this set, particularly if you were born in 1983,” said Jon White, of RWB Auctions.
“Someone may have bought you one as a baby or as a Christening present. If they happened to get hold of a rare one, then you have a very valuable gift on your hands.”
The auction house has previously sold a scarce Lord Kitchener £2 for £1,000 and an unusual Olympics 50p for £1,500.
Rare coins and notes are highly desirable among specialist collectors and could make you a mint if you find one.
Some of the most in-demand pieces can sell for hundreds of pounds.
If you spot an unusual-looking coin in your change, keep hold of it.
Then look up exactly how rare it is. Usually, the rarer it is, the more valuable it is.
You can find out what coins are rare and how they look on The Royal Mint’s website.
You can also determine the coin and how common it is by looking at the scarcity index on specialist coin collector sites.
RARE and valuable coins can go for a hefty sum - but how do you know if your coin is the result of a genuine minting error?
The best way to find out if you have an error coin is to send it to the Royal Mint museum, which will analyse it and see if it is a result of a genuine minting error or not.
It’ll normally take a couple of weeks to get the results back to you.
But remember, there’s a difference between a genuine error coin and one that is just imperfect, for example with a design that is not as clear as you’d expect.
And whatever you do, don’t be tempted to splash your cash without evidence from the Mint confirming that it’s a genuine error.
To work out how valuable it might be, take a look at similar coins that have recently sold on eBay or even at auction.
Remember to look at “sold listings” to be sure that the coin has sold for the specified amount rather than just been listed.
It’s not just coins, rare notes can sell for multiple times their face value.
This includes fivers, rare £10 notes as well as higher denominations.
One of the main distinguishing marks of a rare note is the serial number.
These numbers can be found on the side with the Monarch’s face, just under the value of £10 in the corner of the note.
Low serial numbers or something quite quirky can see you cash in thousands.
MARRIED At First Sight star Georges Berthonneau has revealed what really happens at the explosive dinner parties.
The online coach, who wed Peggy Lawrence in last year’s series, said the boozy group gatherings start at 11am in the morning and can go on for several hours.
Georges claimed that producers give them “fake champagne” which is actually prosecco – saying “it’s all a facade, it’s all smoke and mirrors”.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Georges said: “They want it to kind of get out of control, but they don’t want people to get too drunk.
“They used to have a tally chart, so we’d have our pictures, you know the cast sheet, and everyone would have a line by their name
and as one person gets a little bit too drunk, they start to decrease the alcohol on the table.
“So they do regulate it, like fair play to them.
“But then you’ve got to remember we’re up at 6am, and we’re home by one in the morning, so it’s like a full day of filming.
“The mixers start as early as 11 o’clock.
“You’re drinking fake champagne, you know.
“They’re labeling it champagne, and it’s prosecco. It’s all a facade. It’s all smoke and mirrors. There’s no truth to it.
“And again, you don’t know who’s playing a game.”
Georges explained that there were some two-faced contestants on his series – who would try and steal the limelight.
“Normally, the ones that are trying to play a game because they’re trying to take the heat off themselves,” he continued.
“You know, we used to have a few people do that.
“They used to try and diffuse situations before you went on camera and stuff, which in my eyes is the right way to do it, but then, why are you trying to hide?”
It comes after Georges told The Sun that the show is “pantomime” and its producers are “magicians” due to the way the show is edited.
He claimed claims there are four different edits per couple on the programme enabling bosses to manipulate storylines.
It means a bride or groom can be painted in one light in an episode, before undergoing a dramatic change in the next, something which was evident with Georges last year.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, he said: “There is not one edit of the show. There are four potential edits depending on the crowd’s reaction at the time.
“These people are absolutely magicians and wizards when it comes to editing footage.”
In the current series, groom Caspar Todd came under fire on his wedding day and honeymoon for ‘body-shaming’ wife Emma Barnes.
He stunned viewers when he remarked he didn’t find her sexy and “doesn’t usually go for curvy women”.
Georges predicts there’s likely a different side to Caspar that viewers have yet to see, which might pave the way for a redemption arc.
He said: “What happens is Caspar might have actually said some really lovely things about Emma on the day, but they just edited them out.”
Georges’ narrative changed dramatically over the course of his series. He began the series as a bit of a jester who was fixated on fake boobs, before his more mature, sensitive side was introduced.
“It’s a pantomime, we already they already know the ending,” he said. “I think if you’d solely looked at my wedding day you’d go this guy doesn’t make it past week two.
“But then you watch episode two of me and my honeymoon, and all of a sudden everyone’s like, ‘Oh, this guy’s not actually so bad. He’s just a bit immature at times. He’s a bit laughy jokey. He’s a bit say it, think it, catch it, kill it, bin it,’ and the table’s turned.”
A side effect of this selective editing is overzealous viewers sometimes develop an irrational hatred for cast members.
As a result social media inboxes can quickly fill up with vitriolic messages.
Georges took the fallout from his series in his stride, but warned trolls that they’re likely to end up with egg on their face if they act without knowing the full story.
“I think people are too quick to judge, but then they’re entitled to do what they want,” he said. “If Doris wants to go on Facebook and and smash up the forums and be like, ‘Georges is a d**khead.
“He spoke about boobies, and he spoke about this, he spoke about that’, whatever, that’s fine. You’re entitled to have your life in your opinion.”
IPSWICH host high-flying Aston Villa in the first match on Super Sunday.
Sam Morsy’s 95th-minute strike rescued a point for the Tractors in last weekend’s encounter against Southampton.
And they’ll be hoping for more fortune to fall their way as they face an Aston Villa side who came from behind to beat Wolves that same day.
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