DAVID PICKUP: UNCOMMON THOUGHTS AND RARITIES

The Royal Mint estimates there less than 250,000 undated 20 pence coins were issued. It is an estimate so the figure may be wrong. If it is correct that means about 1 in 500 of the 136 million 20 pence coins minted in 2008-9 do not have a date. 1 in 500 is rare. The coins retail in the UK for about £45.00 each. The Royal Mint on its website helpfully states that, “These coins remain legal tender and still have a face value of 20p.”

The Kew 50 pence piece sells for about £25.00 and interestingly if the mintage estimate is correct they are significantly rarer than the undated 20 pence. About 200,000 of them were minted. The 50 pence piece was described in the press as “incredibly rare” and prices on the internet went up to £120.00 at one point. The next two rarest modern coins had mintages of about 500,000 to 580,000. These two Commonwealth Two pound coins are hardly ever seen in circulation.

One wonders what would be the better purchase for the collector. The 20 pence is interesting as an example of a glaring error. There are not many errors that are as obvious as this. The Royal Mint’s production and quality standards are extremely good. In the UK there is little collecting interest in errors. Mistrikes, double strikes or even brockages really only a novelty value. However there are less than 250,000 collectors in the world and so everyone who wants an undated 20 pence is likely to have one. The Kew 50 pence piece is a much more attractive and rarer issue.

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
RAREST CIRCULATING U.K. COINS (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n36a26.html)
ROYAL MINT ERROR: THE DATELESS 2009 TWENTY PENCE (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n27a09.html)
MORE ON THE ROYAL MINT'S DATELESS TWENTY PENCE (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v13n43a25.html)
THE CRAZE FOR THE ROYAL MINT'S DATELESS 2009 TWENTY PENCE (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n28a22.html)
BRITONS SEARCH FOR RARE KEW GARDENS 50P COIN (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n08a25.html)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web