The 2008 coin features Queen Elizabeth II on the front and the Royal Shield of Arms on the reverse
A ‘rare’ 20p coin has sold for more than 240 times its shop value because it’s missing one important detail – and you could have one in your change. The 2008 coin, which features Queen Elizabeth II on the front and the Royal Shield of Arms on the reverse, sold on Ebay for £48.16 because it was minted with a rare error.
According to the Royal Mint, an error that year resulted in many ‘mule’ or undated 20p coins accidentally entering circulation. The error is thought to have happened due to an incorrect pairing of the old and new coin designs.
The exact number of affected mule coins is unknown but the Royal Mint say it is fewer than 250,000 coins out of the 136million they minted in 2008-09 – so while rare there are more out there to be found.
A spokesperson for the Royal Mint said: “In November 2008 a number of 20p coins were incorrectly minted, resulting in the coins being undated.
“This problem affected less than 250,000 coins of the 136million 20p pieces minted in 2008-09 and was due to the previous obverse (the ‘Heads’ side) being used with the new reverse (the ‘Tails’ side) design, meaning the year of issue did not feature at all. These coins remain legal tender and still have a face value of 20p.”
The listing description describes the 20p coin as a ‘highly sought-after error coin and a must-have for collectors’. The listing reads: “Genuine 2008 undated 20p mule error coin.
“This rare coin was produced by the Royal Mint during a design change, resulting in no date being stamped on either side. A highly sought-after error coin and a must-have for collectors.”
One keen bidder paid £48.16 plus £2.70 postage to snap up the 20p piece in April. That means the coin was sold for more than 240 times its shop value and will be sure to have Brits checking their change for the same error.
First issued in 1982, the 20p is one of the UK’s newest circulating denominations. Since then, there have been several different variations of the coin.
In 1998, the coin was updated to feature Maklouf’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, while the reverse of the coin depicts a crowned Tudor double rose in a design by William Gardner. In 2022, Ian Rank-Broadley’s portrait of the Queen was replaced by Jody Clark’s design.
Gardner’s reverse design featured on the 20p until 2008 when it was replaced by the definitive ‘shield’ design that currently appears on UK coins up to the value of 50p. When united, and carefully arranged in the correct order, the 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p, 1p, make up the Royal Arms in its entirety.
