Coin collectors and the general public across the UK are being urged to check their pockets for a specific Brexit 50p coin that could be worth a life-changing sum of money. According to a leading specialist, a rare error version of the commemorative coin might fetch over £40,000 at auction.
The Valuable Error Explained
The coin in question is the Brexit 50p, which entered general circulation in January 2020 to mark the UK's departure from the European Union. The standard coin bears the inscription 'peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations' on its reverse (tail) side, with a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse (head) side.
However, the expert known as Coin Collecting Wizard has highlighted that a small number of these coins were minted with a crucial mistake. Due to the political delays surrounding Brexit, the Royal Mint initially produced trial coins for two earlier proposed exit dates: March 29, 2019, and October 31, 2019.
When the official departure was postponed to 2020, these earlier-dated coins were supposedly cancelled. The specialist suggests that a handful may have escaped destruction and could now be in circulation, making them exceptionally rare and valuable to numismatists.
Expert Opinion and Auction Potential
In a recent social media video, Coin Collecting Wizard advised Britons to 'always check your Brexit 50p as you never know' if they possess one of these error coins. The potential value is staggering, with earlier estimates placing it at around £40,000.
This valuation is supported by professional auction houses. Gregory Edmund, a coin specialist from the renowned Spink & Son auction house, told The Telegraph that if such coins were to go under the hammer, he would expect them to fetch more than £40,000.
Edmund described the potential discovery of these coins as a 'numismatic Golden Ticket' moment, referencing the famous story of Charlie Bucket. He confirmed that around one million coins dated October 31, 2019, were thought to have been melted down, while a thousand trial pieces were made for the March 2019 date.
What Should You Look For?
If you want to hunt for this potential windfall, you need to examine any Brexit 50p coins you come across very carefully. The key detail is the date. You are specifically looking for coins that feature either '29 March 2019' or '31 October 2019' on them, instead of the correct 2020 date.
It remains uncertain how many, if any, of these error coins are actually in public hands. The Treasury has only confirmed that some were made for testing, and the Royal Mint's stringent security means they were likely held back. Nevertheless, the expert community is abuzz with the possibility, and collectors are ready to pay a significant premium for such a unique piece of modern British history.
The advice is clear: next time you get a 50p piece in your change, take a second look. It might just be the rare Brexit 50p coin error that turns out to be a highly lucrative find.
