eBay seller kcampbell32443 has listed the Abolition of the Slave Trade £2 at auction with a starting bid of £300. Interested buyers can also make an offer if their budget doesn’t stretch to this price. Describing the coin, the seller wrote: “Rare 1807 Abolition Of Slavery £2 Coin typographical error. Queens side up writing upside down.” (sic) The seller has 100 percent positive feedback based on 404 reviews.
This coin has an important history, and Royal Mint explained the design on their website.
They wrote: “Two commemorative £2 coins were issued by The Royal Mint in 2007, one celebrating the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union between Scotland and England, and the other commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade.
“David Gentleman’s simple yet powerful design depicting a broken link in the ‘chains of oppression’, which doubles as the zero in the anniversary date, 1807, features on this ‘abolition of the slave trade’ £2 coin.
“The broken chain link is surrounded by the inscription ‘An Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade’ and the date ‘2007’.”
8,445,000 coins were minted, meaning it is rated Common on the scarcity index on Change Checker.
However, the minting error on the seller’s coin may add to its value and mean buyers deem it worthy of the high price tag.
It is not the only £2 coin selling for a small fortune on eBay, with other sellers hoping to cash in thanks to finds in their change.
One eBay user, “laugmane” listed a Guy Fawkes £2 piece minted in 2005 on the website for £435.
Claiming it is rare, the seller put it up for sale for a staggering £435 – more than 200 times the value listed on the coin itself.
The coin was issued in 2005, and makes a nod to the historic gunpowder plot in 1605.
On November 5 that year, an assassination of King James I was due to take place, however the evening before, the plot was unveiled – when Guy Fawkes was discovered guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder beneath the House of Lords.
The event sparked the tradition of Guy Fawkes Night – also known as Bonfire Night and Firework Night – which takes place on November 5 each year.
The coin was created 400 years later to mark the anniversary, by artist Peter Forster.
It features symbols of State which allude to the survival of the British establishment under threat, The Royal Mint said, in an arrangement which refers to a Catherine Wheel.
Stars also appear on the reverse, making another reference to fireworks.