Brexit 50p coin could be worth thousands – but only if you find one with an error
FIFTY pence coins released to commemorate Brexit could be worth thousands of pounds - but only if you spot one with an error.
The coins will be released into circulation this Friday - January 31 - to mark Britain's departure from the European Union.
The seven-sided Brexit coins has the same shape as the classic 50p coin, but bears a new description reading: "Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations."
This is third time lucky for the production of the coin, which was given the Privy Council's seal of approval on December 17.
The Brexit coins had initially been due to be released on March 31, and a second batch of coins was then manufactured when Brexit was delayed until October 31, 2019.
A majority of the March version and the October batch have since been recycled, which is where they're melted down and re-made into other coins.
Yet some of the "error coins" could appear in your wallet anyway, meaning you could make a tidy profit.
Is your small change worth a fortune?
IF you think that you might have a rare coin then you might be able to make a real mint.
The most valuable coins are usually those with a low mintage or an error.
These are often deemed the most valuable by collectors.
You should check how much the coin is selling for on eBay.
Search the full name of the coin, select the "sold" listing and then toggle the search to "highest value".
It will give you an idea of the amount of money that the coin is going for.
You can either choose to sell the coin on eBay or through a specialist like ChangeChecker.org.
If you choose the auction website then remember to set a minimum price that is higher or at the very least equal to the face value of the coin.
Even if your coin “sells” on eBay for a high price there’s no guarantee that the buyer will cough up.
It its terms and conditions, the auction website states that bidders enter a “legally binding contract to purchase an item”, but there’s no way to enforce this rule in reality.
The most eBay can do is add a note to their account for the unpaid item or remove their ability to bid and buy.
Coin expert Colin Bellamy from , told The Sun it's "unlikely" that the latest Brexit coins will be minted with errors.
But if the 50ps with the wrong date find their way out of the factory, someone who comes across the coin could make thousands of pounds in profit.
Mr Bellamy said: "Security is very tight at The Royal Mint, as I understand it – all but five have been destroyed.
"If only five of each design dated March 29 2019 and October 31 2019 officially exist – and one or a few have somehow found their way out of the mint – I expect collectors would pay thousands of pounds for this significant piece of history.
"This would not be the case if hundreds or thousands of the wrong date coins ended up in circulation.
"With a level of interest this high – we should expect to see fakes on eBay in the next few months that show the dates March 29 2019 and October 31 2019 – so people must beware."
The normal 50p coins have been pre-sold on eBay for up to £15, although it's likely they'll be worth their face value of 50p in a few weeks, Mr Bellamy added.
Coins minted with mistakes on them are super popular among collectors and can end up selling for far more than face value.
One of the most valuable error 50p coins is the aquatics design released as part of the London 2012 Olympics series.
Initially, the the image on the back shows water passing directly over the swimmer's face, but the design was modified to reduce the amount of water so you could see the athlete more clearly.
A small batch of them were accidentally released into circulation featuring the old design.
An uncirculated one sold for £800 on eBay last year after attracting more than 40 bids.
More on rare coins and notes
Plans to produce 10,000 special Brexit coins were first announced by former chancellor Philip Hammond in the 2018 Budget.
But this week it sparked fury after being released without the proper punctuation.
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.