A RARE £2 coin could be worth more than £120 and you might have one sitting in your pocket right now
The sought-after sterling is part of the Shakespeare £2 series, released by the Royal Mint in 2016.
But a special minting error has made some of them highly valuable.
Shakespeare £2 coins dubbed Tragedies, Comedies, and Histories were issued by the Royal Mint in 2016.
This was to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of Britain’s famous playwright.
The coin with the supposed error on it is the Tragedies £2.
It features a skull and rose motif in a nod to William Shakespeare‘s works on tragic love affairs.
TikTok coin guru Coin Collecting Wizard, who’s real name is Barry Graham, has sent collectors into a frenzy with his latest video, in which he explains what to look out for.
In the video he explains: “It is a hard to spot error affecting the edge of the coin that has attracted interest from collectors.”
It should have “what a piece of work is man” inscribed on the side of the coin, which is a line from Hamlet, but coin collectors have noticed some seem to have the wrong inscription.
They instead read “for king and country”, which is the phrase that’s supposed to be on the Royal Mint’s First World War £2 issued in 2016 to commemorate the role of the army in WWI.
He adds that: “Mint errors like this one can add significant value to common coins.
“Several incorrect edge errors are known on £2 coins with the edge swapped for another belonging to a coin minted in the same year.”
Excited viewers flooded the comments, with one revealing: “I have five of these.”
Another user chimed in, saying: “I have three.”
A third simply added: “I have this.”
Last month, the Coin Collector UK explained on TikTok that one of the botched coins sold for £123 in 2024.
The condition of the coin is also likely to have an impact, with collectors preferring those without scratches and signs of wear and tear.
It’s worth having a look just in case you have one in your pocket or purse.
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A coin is only ever worth what someone is willing to pay at the time though, and demand can vary over time.
Previously we’ve spotted the coin going for as much as £230.
Rare coins could sell for more if a collector needs one to complete a collection, for example.
A coin is usually considered rare if it has a low mintage figure – this is set by The Royal Mint.
A mintage figure relates to how many of a coin were made, so the lower it is the rarer the coin is.
You can find out what coins are rare and how they look on The Royal Mint’s website.
But some are also considered rare due to manufacturing errors, like this Shakespeare tragedy coin.
Mintage figures show that there are around 4.6million of these coins in circulation but it’s not known how many of these are error coins.
One of the most famous error coins – an Olympic swimming 50p from 2012 – sold for £410 in 2020.
In 2024, Coin Collecting Wizard revealed images of seldom-seen change that could bag you hundreds of pounds.
How can I check if my error coin is genuine?
RARE and valuable coins can go for a hefty sum – but how do you know if your coin is the result of a genuine minting error?
The best way to find out if you have an error coin is to send it to the Royal Mint museum, which will analyse it and see if it is a result of a genuine minting error or not.
It’ll normally take a couple of weeks to get the results back to you.
But remember, there’s a difference between a genuine error coin and one that is just imperfect, for example with a design that is not as clear as you’d expect.
And whatever you do, don’t be tempted to splash your cash without evidence from the Mint confirming that it’s a genuine error.
The collector explained that the 1894 predecimal penny “easily sells” for over £160 if it’s in “extrafine condition”.
The coin depicts Queen Victoria facing left on one side and the Helmed Britannia seated facing right on the reverse.
The collector from Sunderland previously told The Sun that he has an entire room dedicated to his “very large collection” including “uncirculated, circulated and proof coins including gold and silver”.
The coin expert, who also describes himself as a history enthusiast, goes by the name of “Coin Collecting Wizard” on social media and regularly shares details on some of the rarest coins that could see you pocket quite a bit of money.
The coin collector said: “I enjoy the hobby very much and also know this will be my children’s inheritance one day too.”
HOW TO SELL A RARE COIN
If you are lucky enough to find a genuine rare coin there are a number of options when it comes to selling it.
including through Facebook, eBay or in an auction.
But be wary of the risks. A number of people have been targeted by scammers on Facebook.
Crooks say they’re planning to buy the item, and ask for money upfront for a courier to send to your home.
But you end up sending free cash to them and they never have any intention of picking your item up.
It’s always best to meet in person when buying or selling on Facebook Marketplace and in a public place.
And most sellers prefer to deal with cash directly when meeting to ensure it’s legitimate.
The safest way to sell a rare coin is more than likely at auction. You can organise this with The Royal Mint’s Collectors Service.
It has a team of experts who can help you authenticate and value your coin.
You can get in touch via email and a member of the valuation team will get back to you.
