Britons are being urged to check their change for a rare 2p coin that could be worth up to £1,000. The coin in question is a 1983 two pence piece that mistakenly bears the inscription 'new pence' instead of 'two pence' on the reverse side.
According to the Coin Collector UK, the error occurred because a small number of 2p coins were struck with the outdated wording in 1983, after the Royal Mint had changed the design from 'new pence' to 'two pence' in 1982. The 'new pence' coins were originally minted from decimalisation in 1971 until 1981, making the 1983 error particularly rare.
The Royal Mint has confirmed that these coins were produced to brilliant uncirculated quality and included in special collector sets. As a result, relatively few are in circulation, giving them a potential value far above face value. An uncirculated set from 1983 containing the rare 2p coin is currently listed for £1,250 by the Britannia Coin Company.
Coin experts caution that not all 'new pence' 2p coins are valuable; only those dated 1983 command the high price. Coins from earlier years are common and worth only 2p. Collectors advise checking the date carefully before getting excited about a potential find.
