Coin collectors and the general public across the UK are being alerted to the potential fortune hiding in their pockets. A social media expert has identified two specific £2 coins that, if they feature rare minting mistakes, could be worth a combined sum of more than £1,000.
The £1,000 Lord Kitchener Coin Error
In a viral TikTok video, an authority known as the Coin Collecting Wizard highlighted the first valuable piece: the 2014 Lord Kitchener £2 coin. This coin was issued to commemorate the centenary of the First World War and typically features a portrait of Lord Kitchener on its reverse side.
However, its value skyrockets only if it possesses a specific error on its obverse, or heads side. On the standard version, the words 'two pounds' are clearly inscribed. The rare error version misses this inscription entirely. The expert emphasised that only a handful of these error coins are known to exist, despite 5,720,000 standard Lord Kitchener coins being minted. The rarity was proven in February 2024, when an American collector paid £1,000 for one at auction.
The £30 Shakespeare Tragedies Mismatch
The second coin to look for is the 2016 Shakespeare tragedies £2 coin, which normally depicts a skull on its tail side. The correct edge inscription for this coin is a quote from Hamlet: 'what a piece of work is a man'.
The valuable error occurs when this coin has been stamped with the wrong edge lettering. Some were accidentally minted with the phrase 'for king and country', which was intended solely for the First World War commemorative coins. This mistake makes the coin worth about 20 times its face value. At the time of reporting, one such error coin was listed for sale on eBay for £125.50.
Check Your Change Today
The message from numismatic experts is clear: it pays to be vigilant. With a potential combined value of £1,030, these two error coins represent a significant find for any household. The key is to carefully inspect the inscriptions on any £2 coins you come across, as the smallest deviation from the standard design could turn everyday change into a collector's treasure.
