Posts Tagged ‘Error Coin’
How much is my Charles Dickens £2 worth?
Could your Charles Dickens £2 really be worth a fortune?
Every keen collector knows that it is worthwhile paying close attention to the small details of your coins – it’s the only way you can ever hope to spot an error. However, it’s also important to know when you have a genuine rarity (and when you don’t). There are a few stories which crop up more often than others, and one of them is the elaborated value of the Charles Dickens £2. So hopefully this post will help dispel some of the myths about the coin.
The Charles Dickens £2 coin was issued by The Royal Mint in 2012 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of one of Britain’s most famous and beloved writers. The design features Dickens’ recognisable profile crafted from the titles of his most famous works and is a favourite amongst collectors.
But recently, a number of stories have been popping up regarding the ‘errors’ people have noticed, such as fading dots around the centre part, upside down edge lettering and misspelling of the edge inscription. In fact, some of these coins have even been listed on eBay for thousands of pounds, leaving Change Checkers wondering “how much is the Charles Dickens’ £2 coin actually worth?”
The value of the Charles Dickens £2 coin is often elaborated on online market places such as eBay as seen here the £2 coin is listed for £3,500. Credit: eBay
But before you get too excited and consider putting your Charles Dickens up for sale, let’s take a look at what these ‘errors’ really mean…
Disappearing dots
This has also been found on many other £2 coins so is not exclusive to the Dickens coin, where the dots that should that go all around the silver centre of the coin suddenly disappear. Unfortunately this wouldn’t actually add any value to the coin, as it is simply caused by the mass production process, where millions of coins are being struck at once and the dies get worn down. It’s difficult to ensure all coins look exactly the same considering the millions of coins that are struck at one time, but we definitely feel that variations like this makes collecting more exciting.
Dots around silver centre disappearing. Credit: eBay
Upside down lettering
Upside down lettering is very common on bi-metallic coins and can be seen on many of the £2 coins you find in your change. Again, this isn’t actually an error, but a variation to look out for on your coins. It happens during the minting process, when the edge lettering is applied before the obverse and reverse of the coin has even been struck. This then explains why some coins can end up with the edge lettering appearing upside down.
£2 coin with upside down edge lettering
Misspelled edge inscription
Many people have noticed that there is a ‘miss spelled’ WILL on the edge inscription of their Charles Dickens £2 coin. This is actually caused by a worn out die, where the end of the L has been worn down to look like an I. This is a common variation amongst coins and can also be seen on the 2005 Gunpowder plot £2, which now has many variations of edge inscription due to the worn out R appearing as a P.
Edge inscription ‘WILL’ spelt ‘WII’. Credit: eBay
The Charles Dickens £2 coin actually only ranks as ‘common’ on our Scarcity Index, however it’s fascinating to hear about the different variations people have noticed on their coins and looking out for these makes for great coin collecting!
Unfortunately, people listing coins like this on eBay hoping for elaborate amounts are usually just chancers looking for a quick buck and rarely mean the coin is actually an error.
It’s the differences caused by human error, such as a wrong date or design or even the wrong metal used that are a lot more sought after and would likely have added value for your coin – so be sure to keep a look out for these!
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
Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app
The truly unique ‘Bronze 20p’ error coin
ENTRIES TO THE ‘BRONZE 20P’ DRAW ARE NOW CLOSED
We love to hear when Change Checkers make a great coin discovery. We’re often contacted about mis-strikes which are interesting oddities but what really excites us are ‘error’ coins.
Genuine ‘error’ coins, especially those verified by The Royal Mint, are VERY rare and finding one is a goal for many change collectors.
So imagine our excitement when somebody contacted us after finding one of the rarest ‘error’ coins yet!
The ‘Bronze 20p’
Earlier this year, we were contacted by a collector named David Crosier who informed us he’d found a very rare ‘error’ coin.
A collector for over 50 years, David told us how he’d often look out for mis-strikes and ‘mules’ but there was something special about this particular coin. Initially he presumed the coin was plated but decided to send it to The Royal Mint to be certain.
The ‘Bronze 20p’ flanked by a 20p and 1p coin from the same year
After examination by x-ray fluorescence spectrometry, the coin was confirmed by The Royal Mint as an extremely sought-after minting ‘error’.
Somehow a 1p ‘blank’ found its way into the presses and a 20p was accidentally struck onto it.
The ‘Bronze 20p’ is significantly thinner than he standard 20p coin
Errors like this are extremely rare, in fact so rare we’ve never heard of another ‘Bronze 20p’, but The Royal Mint verified the authenticity of the coin with a letter and so here at Change Checker we knew this was an opportunity not to be missed.
Chris Barker, Assistant Curator for The Royal Mint Museum, confirmed the ‘Bronze 20p’ as a genuine ‘error’ coin
Now the great news… we want to give away the amazing ‘Bronze 20p’ to one lucky Change Checker!
And what’s more, you won’t just win the ‘Bronze 20p’, the coin is set in a specially designed presentation box alongside a Brilliant Uncirculated 1p and a Brilliant Uncirculated 20p coin from the same year, beautifully highlighting the minting error.
The ‘Bronze 20p’ is housed in a specially designed presentation box alongside a Brilliant Uncirculated 20p and 1p coin from the same year.
Your chance to win the coin
We’ll be selecting a lucky Change Checker to win this coin. If you’re already registered then we’ll automatically include you in the draw.
To register your free account, all you need to do is enter your email address and choose a password.
ENTRIES FOR THE ‘BRONZE 20P’ DRAW ARE NOW CLOSED
Full Terms and Conditions can be found below.
Good luck!
Terms & Conditions
- All registered members of changechecker.org at midnight on 7th December 2017 will be automatically entered into the prize draw. No purchase is necessary to register.
- The draw will take place on 11th December 2017 and the winner will be notified on that day by email to their registered changechecker.org email address.
- The winner will receive the “Bronze 20p”. There is no cash alternative.
- Participants agree to meet reasonable requests to assist publicity.
- The prize draw is promoted by The Westminster Collection / Change Checker, trading divisions of 288 Group Ltd.
- Employees of 288 Group and their families are not eligible to enter.
Why the latest Royal Mint “error” is the hardest to find yet. Plus what it might be worth…
In 2017, following reports by Change Checker and in the national press that a die mix up at The Royal Mint resulted in a number of 12 sided £1 coins being struck with dual-dates, The Royal Mint officially confirmed the error.
However, this is one of the hardest errors ever to spot. That’s because even with 20/20 eyesight you will struggle to see the incorrect date on the coin’s reverse because it’s micro-engraved as part of the coin’s ultra-secure finish.
The error is so small, it cannot be seen with the naked eye.
What do I need to look for?
Firstly, although both 2016 and 2017 obverse-dated £1 coins entered circulation in April 2017, the die-error mix up appears to have only occurred on a limited number of coins with a 2016 date on the Queen’s head side.
So it’s worth checking any 2016 coins. You’ll need to look just inside the rim of the design-side of the coin, where you will see some tiny writing. You’ll almost certainly need a Microscope or Phonescope to properly see the writing, which should reveal the date.
You’re looking for a 2016 obverse-dated coin with 2017 micro-engraving on the reverse.
The Phonescope allows you to see tiny details on coins
What if I can’t read the micro-engraving?
With over 1.5 billion new £1 coins being struck not all coins are finished perfectly. Unfortunately, a poorly struck example where you cannot read the micro-engraving is not of great interest to collectors.
What about other £1 mis-strikes and errors?
We believe this is the only known £1 error. Due to the huge number of coins that have entered circulation, there are a number of interesting mis-strikes, which, although numismatically interesting, have relatively limited collectibility or value.
More worryingly, there are a number of altered £1 coins for sale, claiming to have misaligned heads or similar unusual errors. However, both these are likely to have transgressed the Coinage Act by tampering with the coin and are clear minting impossibilities. STEER WELL CLEAR is our advice. Similarly beware of photographs that purport to show a genuine Dual-dated £1 coin – you need to be confident you’re not simply looking at two different coins.
So what is the Dual-dated £1 Coin worth?
This remains the most difficult question but let’s take a look at the available information.
- How many were struck?
The Royal Mint has given no indication of how many Dual-dated £1 Coins ever went into circulation – and it’s quite likely they do not even know. We have not seen any examples amongst our stock. Equally, 1,500,000,000 2016 £1 coins were struck and rates of 1,800 coins per minute were achieved at the height of production.
The key number seems to be how many coins The Royal Mint strike before they replace a die. Given the nature of the “error” it seems likely that it was only corrected when the die was replaced. Understandably, the number of coins The Royal Mint strikes with each blank is not something the Mint chooses to share for commercial reasons.
- What are the comparables?
The key to any valuation is what comparable coins sell for. The most obvious comparable is the 2008 undated 20p, which was caused by a similar die mix up. That sells online for between £50 and £80.
Other interesting UK errors include “Silver” 2p coins, which have sold in recent years for as much as £1,400 but these are considerably rarer relying on a few old 10p blanks being left over when a blank barrel has been filled with new 2p blanks. Another 2 pence error, when some DATE 2p pieces were struck using the old decimalisation dies with the word “NEW” in front of “PENCE”, currently sells for around £60.
The 2015 Rare ‘Silver’ 2p
- So what is the new Dual-dated £1 Coin worth?
We understand that at least one example was sold for £2,500 to a buyer in Spain in 2017, which probably marks the likely ceiling for value.
Probably more Dual-dated £1 coins have been struck than the 2p coins. However, the error is particularly difficult to spot due to the size of the micro-engraving. It’s also worth noting that interest in £1 coins is still very high and, of course, because they are relatively new in circulation, the chances of finding an all-important good quality version is high.
Bearing all that in mind, our best value estimate for a Dual-dated £1 Coin in excellent condition is currently £300 – £500.
Finding the coin in your change
We’ve heard from two Change Checkers lucky enough to find a dual dated error, one in October 2018 and one in April 2019.
I’m sure that the challenge of finding a dual dated £1 coin has sparked many Change Checker’s interest in collecting coins and I’m sure will encourage more collectors out there to look more closely at their £1 coins.
Dual dated £1 error coin found by a lucky Change Checker
If you’ve come across an interesting coin in your change, be sure to get in touch with us. We’d love to hear about the rare coins you’ve found.
Help find the Dual-dated £1 Coin with the Change Checker Phonescope
The Phonescope works by clipping onto a mobile device, and magnifying the camera, allowing you to take incredible close-up photos and videos.