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People urged to check if they have rare 20p coin that's worth a lot more

People have been urged to check if they have a rare 20p coin that's worth a lot more than face value. The 'holy grail' of British change is sparking a frenzy online

[A handful of small change]

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People have been urged to check whether they have the coin (stock image)(Image: whitemay via Getty Images)

Ever wonder whether you're perched on a small fortune? Recently, the scarcest 50p piece with 200,000 in circulation caught attention as it's valued at significantly more than its face worth. So it's quite comprehensible why enthusiasts are going mad for unusual coins right now.

Now the 'holy grail' of British change is sparking a frenzy on Instagram after @CoinCollectingWizard, who commands 30,100 followers, revealed details about this particular 20p coin you should watch for. It's thought the issue affected approximately 250,000 coins of the Shield 20p design, meaning a single one of these carries a worth of 50.

In the post, he explained: "It's all to do with a dye mix up at The Royal Mint causing the coin to have no date.

"This problem affected less than 250,000 coins of the 136million 20p pieces minted in 2008 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."

Discussing it further, he added: "Considered by many as one of the holy grails of UK change, collecting the undated 20p is always at the top of any coin collectors' wish list."

The Royal Mint also verified this marks the first occasion in over 300 years where a coin had entered circulation without a date.

This fundamentally renders it exceptionally coveted by coin enthusiasts. "As you can see from these eBay sold prices, the undated 20p is an easy sell for around 50, so always make sure to check those 20p coins," the Instagram user concluded.

The coin ranks amongst the scarcest 20p pieces in circulation and proves notoriously difficult to track down.

Back in 2008, The Royal Mint altered the design of coins in circulation, which saw the year moved from the back to the front of the coin.

This resulted in a batch of these coins being minted with the wrong old front design, leaving the coin without any date displayed on it.

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