Rare £2 coin that marks special occasion for UK could earn you over £1,500 – do you have one down the back of your sofa?
THIS rare £2 that marks a special occasion for the UK could earn you over £1500.
The gold £2 piece was minted back in 2012 – but it is of historic importance and represents a global event.
The Royal Mint said: “Struck to commemorate the transition of the Olympic Games from London to Rio de Janeiro, the 2012 Olympic Games Handover £2 coin symbolises the passing of the Olympic flag from one host city to another.
“The reverse design, created by Jonathan Olliffe, depicts a baton being passed between two hands, with the flags of the UK and Brazil joined in motion.”
It is also inscribed with ‘I CALL UPON THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD’.
In 2012, London became the first city to host the Olympic Games a whopping three times.
The capital did so in 1908 and 1948 too.
And, in 2012, when it became time to handover the games to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, only a mere 1,200 gold £2 coins were made to commemorate the occasion.
At various coin dealers, the £2’s have been listed at around £1,500.
This is not the only coin that could make their lucky owners a huge profit.
A 2p with a subtle wording mistake – “New Pence” instead of “Two Pence” – could be worth around £1000.
Meanwhile, 50p coins decorated with a cartoon high-jumper for the 2012 London Olympics have been selling for as much as £142 and £216.
Another coin designed for the Games – which was minted with horizontal lines mistakenly etched into it – can fetch an enormous £3000 at auction.
It’s also worth checking the £2 coins lurking in your loose change, as a specific cat design could mean they’re worth over 100 times they’re usual value.
CHECK IF YOU HAVE A RARE COIN
Rare coins and valuable notes can be worth far more than their face value – sometimes thousands of pounds.
But sometimes it’s just small differences that make them so lucrative.
The most valuable coins are often ones with low mintage numbers or an error.
These qualities typically make them valuable to collectors.
It’s always good to remember a rare coin is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it.
It might be that someone needs your coin to complete their collection, in which they may be willing to pay more.
What are the most rare and valuable coins?
- Five rarest coins – do you have one?
- The 13 most valuable £2 coins in circulation
- How valuable are the rarest £1 coins?
- Most rare and valuable 50p coins in circulation
- Rare and most valuable 20p coins that could be worth up to £750
- Rarest 10p coins in circulation
- Rare 2p coins revealed
- How to check if you have a rare and valuable banknote
SELLING YOUR RARE COINS
There are lots of different factors to consider when trying to value a coin, including its condition and mintage, so it’s important to do your homework first.
If you’ve got a potentially rare coin that you would like to sell at auction, you can contact The Royal Mint’s Collectors Service.
This organisation has a team of experts who can help you to authenticate and value your coin.
You will need to enquire via email, and a member of the valuation team will contact get back to you.
Take a picture of your coin and attach it to the email – you can find all the details on The Royal Mint’s website.
Be wary that you will be charged for this service though – the cost will vary depending on the size of your collection.