Rare Olympic swimmer 50p coin sells for over £10k on eBay
3 June 2020, 18:47
The incredibly unique coin has fetched one lucky owner over ten thousand pounds in an online auction.
A 50p coin created to mark the Olympics has sold on eBay for a hefty amount - £10,101 - and who knows? You might have one at home too.
The rare swimming coin is one of the many themed 50ps which were launched for the London 2012 games and there were a fair few about.
In total, there were a whopping 29 designs all with a different sport on each one.
READ MORE: Is your 50p worth hundred? Here are how much the rare ones are all worth
This particular design that's fetched over £10k is the swimming design, and the reason behind it being so valuable is because it's actually an error coin.
Ahead of the coin's release in 2011, the Royal Mint redesigned the aquatics 50p to show less water crossing the swimmer making their face more visible.
However, a small number of coins were accidentally struck with the original design and entered into circulation, which is what makes them rare.
The coin sold on eBay wasn't even in brand new condition, as it shows in pictures that it's covered in scratches.
It was listed on the auction website for £10 initially, but shot up to £100 within 30 hours.
After 68 bids, 10 days later, the rare error coin sold for a gigantic £10,101.
The Sun Online spoke to Colin Bellamy, a coin expert who runs Coin Hunter, who warned people away from buying these kinds of items on sites like eBay.
He said: "There are large numbers of copies of this coin, some sellers list items to deceive people into thinking they are buying a real Royal Mint produced coin.
"Stay away from eBay listings.
"Your best bet may be a car boot sale.
"If you've got one at home, check to see if the water lines cross over the swimmer's face - if they do then you could be on to a winner."
