Rare 2p coin could fetch incredible £400 at auction - check your pockets (2025)

The coin is expected to fetch upwards of £400. (Image: RWB Auctions)

A rare 2p coin from a piggy bank could rake in a small fortune, with experts predicting it's worth a staggering 20,000 times its face value. The unique coin, set to be auctioned off at RWB Auctions near Swindon today, is expected to fetch at least £400.

It was originally discovered amongst loose change in a piggy bank back in the late 1990s. The owner initially spotted that the coin was out of the ordinary, but kept it until they saw a similar coin being auctioned this year. Specialists estimate that the 1985 coin, which is silver rather than the usual bronze colour of 2ps, might command a price of around £400. Subsequent testing has verified that the coin, from 1985, was mistakenly made from cupronickel - the same material used for 5p and 10p coins. It is also suspected that there are other similar coins yet to be discovered.

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The coin was accidentally made from the wrong metal. (Image: RWB Auctions)

Coin expert and YouTuber Christopher Collects, collaborating with RWB Auctions, said: "We know that this is not a one-off, so there are likely similar coins out there, either put aside as a curiosity like this one or still circulating.

"When coins are minted, a blank disc of metal is stamped between two dies. If the incorrect blank gets into the machine, you end up with an error coin that has a familiar design but is composed of the wrong material.

"If the wrong blank is fed into the machine, then the result is an error coin with a familiar design but made of the wrong metal.

"With modern quality control processes, most mistakes of this kind are identified quickly, but it is clear that a small number of error 2p coins were released into circulation in 1985.

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"Just a few of these 1985 cupronickel 2ps have been identified over the years and they remain a scarce and exciting error, sought-after by collectors of very rare UK coins."

To verify the coin, RWB Auctions gave it to the Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) - renowned coin authentication service.

The NGC confirmed the metal, and the coin, now features in their worldwide registry of certified error coins.