Incredibly rare 25p coin which looks almost identical to 20p is selling for 2,800 times its face value – here’s how to check if there’s one hiding in your purse

An ultra-rare 25p coin is selling for 2,800 times its face value at auction – and another one of them could be hiding in your purse.

The coin, known as a ‘pattern coin’ or ‘trial piece’, is the same shape as an ordinary 20p piece and is fiercely sought after by serious collectors.

There is thought to be no more than 50 in circulation and even fewer made from nickel brass like the one which was handed out in change to a man in Wiltshire.

It’s rarity means auctioneers expect to sell the item for between £500 and £700 at the RWB Auctions in Royal Wootton Bassett on Wednesday.

This sale will leave people frantically checking their loose change collections, as Youtuber and auctioneer Christopher Collects says the rare coin could easily be mistaken for a 20p but ‘will sell for a lot more than that’.

The coin (pictured), known as a ‘pattern coin’ or ‘trial piece’, is the same shape as an ordinary 20p piece and is fiercely sought after by serious collectors

There is thought to be no more than 50 in circulation and even fewer made from nickel brass like the one (pictured) which was handed out in change to a man in Wiltshire

The RWB Auctions staff member told The BBC: ’20p coins are a fixture in our change now, but the Royal Mint seems to have experimented with various ideas before they settled on the seven-sided coin we all recognise.

‘Trial pieces would have been used to demonstrate the concept of a new coin to officials and may have been sent out to businesses that handle lots of cash to try out.’

The 25p coin on sale today is thought to have been made by a Royal Mint craftsmen before the 20p denomination was released into circulation in 1982.

At the time authorities had not decided whether the coin would be worth 20p or 25p.

The coin is part of a specialist sale of historic and modern currency organised by RWB Auctions, which opened on the Royal Wootton Bassett High Street in January.

The auction house previously sold a scarce Lord Kitchener £2 for £1,000 and an unusual Olympics 50p for £1,500.

Earlier this week, Brits urged to check their change jars in case they have a 50p coin worth more than 400 times its value lurking at the bottom. 

This particular coin contains an unusual design on the tails side of the piece which was produced for the 2012 London Olympics – depicting a cartoon high-jumper drawn by a nine-year-old prior to the Games. 

This particular coin contains an unusual design on the tails side of the piece which was produced for the 2012 London Olympics

Over 12 years on, the special piece has resurfaced, with one sold on eBay for a staggering £216.

The individual who listed the coin received 26 bids on the coin before finalising the sale on September 14.

The image was drawn by schoolgirl Florence Jackson in 2009 for a competition organised by the long-running children’s TV show Blue Peter.

It features a high jumper bending backwards over a pole, with a surprised look on its face. 

Over 2.2million of the Blue Peter 50p coins were issued, with most most minted in 2011.

In Change Checker’s most recent scarcity index in August 2024, the coin is ranked 26th in the table of 50p coins, with 25 scarcity index points.

This is an improvement on its ranking in 2022, which hints that the coin is steadily increasing in value.