Rare Royal Mint 20p Coin Worth £2,456 – Sell It on These Websites

In the world of numismatics, sometimes mistakes turn into precious treasures. While most coin collectors focus on ancient coins, some modern coins have become famous for making mistakes that turned common currency into precious collectibles.

Of these, the “dateless” 20p coin is perhaps the most famous British minting error of the last few decades. It was a mistake that turned an ordinary 20 pence coin into thousands of pounds and sparked a national coin investigation.

Minting Mistake: How the Dateless 20p Coin Came to Be

The story starts off in 2008, whilst the Royal Mint accomplished a first-rate redecoration of British coins. For the first time since digitization in 1971, the opposite design of all circulating coins was changed. Previously, every coin had the equal opposite design (besides for commemorative coins); however, the 2008 design brought a brand new “jigsaw” idea.

This new design saw each coin display a portion of the Royal Shield, which, if placed in the correct order, would form the full shield. This design change caused a transitional period in which both the old and new designs were being produced. During this time, an unusual minting error occurred.

Prior to 2008, the 20p coin had the date on the reverse side. But the new design moved the date to the obverse (heads side), where the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was. During this time, some 20p coins were struck with a combination of the old design (without the date) and the new reverse design (parts of the Royal Shield), creating a coin with no date.

The Royal Mint initially denied the possibility of a mistake, as quality control procedures should not have allowed such a mistake to occur. But as soon as such coins appeared in circulation, the truth came out. It is estimated that between 50,000 and 200,000 dateless 20p coins have entered circulation, while around 136 million 20p coins are produced each year.

Current value: What are these coins worth today?

The value of dateless 20p coins has changed a lot since they were discovered. After the news broke in 2009, some of the early coins sold for up to £50, which was 250 times their original price. As the news spread in the media, prices rose further for a short time, with some sellers claiming to sell them for thousands of pounds. However, the market has now stabilized, and these coins still fetch a good price today.

Nowadays, dateless 20p coins that are certified and in good condition sell at auction for between £50-£100. However, some special coins can sell for much more. Even circulated coins can fetch between £40 and £60 when found to be genuine.

How ​​to identify dateless 20p coins

For those who want to spot this precious mistake amongst their coins, it is important to get the right identification. There are certain characteristics that set a genuine dateless 20p coin apart from the rest:

• – Firstly, take a close look at both sides of the coin. A genuine mistake coin will show a post-2008 reverse design, which features a portion of the Royal Shield. The obverse (heads side) will feature a pre-2008 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II (which was designed by the IRB). Most importantly, the date will not appear anywhere on the coin.
• – The coin must weigh the same as a standard 20p coin: 5.0 grams and be 21.4 mm in diameter.
• – The coin must be heptagonal and made of a cupro-nickel alloy, which will make it look like silver.
• – Be on the lookout for obvious signs of tampering. Some people try to create fake “mistakes” by deliberately damaging or altering the surface of normal coins. Genuine mistake coins should have no signs of post-mint alteration.

Besides the dateless 20p: Other valuable modern mistakes

While the dateless 20p coin is the most famous modern British minting error, several other Royal Mint mistakes have also created valuable collectibles to watch out for:

• – The 2015 “Britannia” £2 coin with the Queen’s portrait moved the wrong way. These coins are typically worth £150-£300, depending on their condition and the severity of the mistake.
• – A 2017 “dual-dated” 20p coin, with both 2016 and 2017 dates on different sides. These coins sell for £20-£40.
• – More recently, “thick” 50p coins came into circulation in 2019. These coins were made on blanks (coin-shaped bars) made for older 50p coins, which were thicker than the current coins. These coins are worth between £50 and £150.

Big market for wrong coin collection

The increased prices of dateless 20p coins have attracted increased attention to mistake coin collecting, which was previously a limited hobby but has now become a widely popular activity. Information is now readily available on the internet and people can easily buy and sell on platforms such as eBay.

While this is a great opportunity, misconceptions about defects have also started to spread. Many times minor defects are presented as major mistakes, leaving sellers disappointed when the real price is revealed.

Can you find one?

Although the dateless 20p coin is now more than 10 years old, it is still sometimes found in circulation, proving that anyone can find one. If you want to find one, you’ll have to look carefully.

As people and collectors become more aware of it, the chances are increasing that you could one day come across this rare coin.

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