Is your £1 coin worth £200?

Finding an error coin is like winning the lottery for collectors. And after reading today’s blog, you’ll be adding another rare error to your Change Checker watch list!

As earlier this month, a pub worker discovered a £1 coin that was minted from just ONE metal – not two – which went on to sell for £205 on the secondary market!

You see, normal £1 coins have a gold coloured Nickel-Brass outer ring and a silver coloured Nickel plated interior, but this rarity was completely gold-coloured. Check it out in the image below…

Understandably this lucky find was immediately added to eBay and the uniqueness of the coin meant there were 24 bids from five interested bidders, before it eventually sold on August 8 for the unbelievable price of £205!

Mad, right?

One explanation for the supposed ‘error’ could be that the coin missed the plating stage during production.

Whilst this is the first time we’ve heard of the ‘error’ being found on a £1 coin, similar stories have been reported on £2 coins before…

The Holy Grail of Bi-metallic Errors

The image above shows what has been described as the Holy Grail of bimetallic ‘errors’ and is the result of the nickel-brass £2 blank not having the inner core section punched out before being struck.

This means that the £2 coin is made from one full piece of nickel-brass, just like the £1 error above – completely contrasting the very idea of a bimetallic coin.

A 2007 monometallic £2 was verified by The Royal Mint and in the email confirming the mis-strike it was mentioned that they had only seen 4-5 similar coins before.

This rare striking error is highly sought after and coins have achieved extraordinary prices in private sales and auctions.

So if you don’t consider yourself a Change Checker, it might be time to rethink as these exceptional error coins could be lying unused at the bottom of your bag.

Have you ever discover an error coin? If so comment below as we’d love to hear all about your coin hunting experiences!


If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use and allows users to:

– Find and identify the coins in their pocket
– Collect and track the coins they have
– Swap their spare coins with other Change Checkers

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Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app

10 Comments

  1. Les on September 22, 2021 at 7:38 pm

    To cut a long story short I found a proof anti slavery £2 in a 2007 annual set I bought direct from the Royal mint, it has the wrong inscription on its edge, so I sent it to the mint and they said it was authentic
    and and a unique, that made me very happy .



  2. Trevor Selvey on September 15, 2021 at 9:22 pm

    I have had one of these coins for ages I was lucky enough to pick it up from my local corner shop for £1 as the shop owner knows I collect coins and normally keeps any new 50p and £2 coins plus any other strange coins that he comes across.?



  3. MR DJ BARTLETT on September 15, 2021 at 7:14 pm

    I Am One Of The Lucky Ones Fortunate Enough To Have Acquired, A Royal Mail Misprint,(MULE),
    In The Form Of The, CHINESE YEAR OF THE HORSE ?. I Was Made Aware Of This Error, By My Friend From The Company I Buy Most Of My Coins From ???
    YOURS FOREVER GRATEFUL
    DAVE



  4. Michael Eustace on September 15, 2021 at 3:11 pm

    On the first day of new pound coin 28 March 2017 I was over in uk ?? from Guernsey ?? I went to Cardiff wales ??????? got loads off new pound coins one was different it was round and digger on queens side and 12 sided and milled on tails side error
    It was to with when blank was in the collar was not in properly when coin was struck



  5. Monique on September 15, 2021 at 2:12 pm

    I’ve got an unusual penny which is two colours, silver and bronze. I don’t know how/where to get it looked at and verified/valued though!



    • Rachel Hooper on September 16, 2021 at 8:29 am

      That sounds very interesting indeed! I suggest contacting The Royal Mint Museum to get it verified. Do let us know what you hear back!



  6. George on September 15, 2021 at 1:24 pm

    I’ve got a 1999 £2 coin all in silver, cant seem to find much information on it anywhere. Any help?



    • Rachel Hooper on September 16, 2021 at 8:29 am

      Hi George, that’s a very interesting find! Have you tried contacting The Royal Mint Museum? This would be the best place to get it verified.



  7. Simon Cant on September 15, 2021 at 1:09 pm

    I used to have a shop (until last year) in a tourist area where we only accepted cash. I found a £1 error coin that had a small gap in the inner (silver) metal. You could see through it. I still have it, as I collected and kept all the weird and wonderful error and rare coins that came through the till. I would post a picture of it if I could, as I know it would be quite valuable and of interest to any ‘Change Checkers’!



  8. Rob Archell on September 15, 2021 at 12:47 pm

    I found a Beatrix potter 50p that had the lip from the edge of the coin missing and numbers missing from the date.

    I sold the coin on ebay for around £40..
    Not bad for 50p 😉