Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Business
Kara O'Neill

Olympic swimming 50p coin sells for £1,000 on eBay - do you have one in your pocket?

A rare 50p coin has sold on eBay for £1,000 - but do you have one hanging around in your house?

The design featured on the silver coin is one of several made to commemorate the London 2012 Olympic Games.

All in all, 29 different 50p designs were created, each featuring a different sport.

But the reason the swimming coin in particular is worth so much is actually because it features an error.

Before the coin was released in 2011, it was redesigned, reducing the water lines across the swimmer's face to make it more visible.

Only, a few of the original ones accidentally made it into circulation.

It's not known exactly how many of these coins were released - although it's thought to be around 600.

Do you have one of the coins? Let us know in the comments below

The coin was advertised on eBay recently, and originally listed for 1p.

But after receiving 65 bids, 15 buyers had soon pushed it up to £955.

And another coin with the same error was sold in June 2020 for £10,100.

So if you're checking a stash of 50ps in your home, look out for the Olympic swimmer coin with too many lines on the face.

You could be set to make a pretty penny.

Experts believe the error coins could be worth between £1,000 and £1,500.

But if you're going to buy one, beware.

There are said to be many copies of this coin on the market, so unless you're confident it is genuine, it's best to stay away from bidding on internet sites.

Car boots sales are also a good place to find rare coins.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.