BEAR NECESSITY
Rare Paddington Bear Tower of London 50p sells for £300 on eBay – do you have one?
A RARE Paddington Bear coin has sold on eBay for £300 - 600 times its original value.
The 50p was released into circulation by the Royal Mint in August last year, so it's worth checking if you have one in your change at home.
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The seller didn't specify whether this particular coin had been circulated or not but the pictures show scratches on the design, which suggests that it has been.
In contrast, uncirculated versions of the coin are normally in mint condition and come in collector's packaging.
The coin sold for the price that is was listed for after attracting just two bids.
On it, the Peruvian bear who has a penchant for marmalade sandwiches is standing outside the Tower of London wearing his famous duffle coat and hat.
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What to do if you've found a rare coin
FIRSTLY, you need to make sure the coin is legitimate and not counterfeit.
Around one in every four old £1 coins were thought to be fake, according to the Royal Mint, so there are probably more fakers in your spare change then you realise.
The Royal Mint is unable to value a coin but it can confirm whether it is real or not. They will usually supply you with a letter to confirm this.
Once you’ve found out whether the coin is real or not, you have a number of options - either selling it through a coin dealer, at auction or on eBay.
The other coin released in the same year sees Paddington tipping his hat while he stands in front of London landmark St Paul's Cathedral.
The Royal Mint first introduced the children's book character onto the coins in 2018.
The initial two designs saw the bear waving the Union flag outside Buckingham Palace and another of him sitting on his suitcase at Paddington station.
One of the coins sold for £16,000 after a student found a leaked one in her change before it came out and sold it on eBay.
The Royal Mint hasn't confirmed how many of the latest batch of Paddington coins have been minted but the fewer there are, the more valuable they become.
The Kew Gardens design remains the top collector's item - it's the rarest 50p coin after only 210,000 of the coins were struck.
Normally 50p coins have a mintage of around one million.
Circulated coins that are in near perfect condition will also sell for more online as collectors often pay more for uncirculated proof coins.
Of course, there's no guarantee that your Paddington coin will sell for as much as it's only worth what someone will pay for it.
Another one of these coins recently after attracting five bids.
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It's not just Paddington coins that are worth more than face value.
e recently reported how the Sherlock Holmes 50p coin sold for £500 online, while an Olympic error coin sold for almost £600 online.
If you think the change in your pocket is worth a mint then you should check out our guide to the most valuable 50p coins.
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