Coin collectors hoping to grow their collection may look to the bidding site, eBay, to find a particular item. Although there are plenty of bargains to be had on the site, some are listed for a huge amount. Recently, a Beatrix Potter Tale of Peter Rabbit 50p coin was uploaded with the staggering asking price of £3,000. However, it may not be worth as much and collectors should be careful for an important reason.
The eBay user, “danncharnoc-0”, uploaded the commemorative coin along with two pictures of it.
They wrote: “The tale of peter rabbit rare 50p coin 2017, circulated but in very good condition as seen.”
On top of the whopping £3,000 asking price, potential buyers would need to part with an extra £2.70 for the item to be sent by first class large letter.
The seller explained they would not accept returns for the product.
Although “danncharnoc-0” described the coin as “rare” shoppers should be careful as this may not actually be the case.
The coin on offer was released as part of the 2017 batch of Beatrix Potter commemorative coins.
These collectable coins were first brought out in 2016 to mark the 150th anniversary of the author’s birth and new versions have been released each year since.
Although the coins are of great interest to a number of people, they are not necessarily rare or worth as much as the listing would suggest.
The coin website, Change Checker, revealed the coin has a mintage of 19,900,000 and is ranked as “one” on the scarcity index, making it common.
The website said: “The Tale of Peter Rabbit’ was the first of Beatrix Potter’s tales and the mischievous character has been captured in the centre.
“Designed by Emma Noble, the coin features Peter Rabbit in his iconic blue jacket that became the emblem of Beatrix Potter’s work.”
Experts at the coin publication, Spend It? Save It? What Should You Do?, agree the coin is not rare and have estimated a similar mintage of 19,300,000.
What’s more, the magazine has given the coin a valuation of just £4 – a far cry from the asking price.
Those hoping to get their hands on the piece could save money buy shopping around.
A Mrs Tiggy-Winkle Beatrix Potter fifty pence piece from 2016 was recently uploaded on eBay for £950, despite being worth just £3.
Which are the rarest £1, £2, 50p, 20p, 10p and 2p coins?
Rarest £2 coins
The rarest £2 coin is the 2002 Commonwealth Games NI coin with 485,500 in circulation. This is followed by the 2002 Commonwealth Games Wales which has 588,500 in circulation.
Next up is the 2015 Navy, and there are 650,000 in circulation.
Rarest £1 coins
The most rare £1 coins are all part of a series celebrating the British capitals.
The rarest of these is the 2011 Edinburgh coin, with 935,000 in circulation. Of the 2011 Cardiff coins there are 1,615,000 in circulation, while the 2010 London coin has 2,635,000 in circulation.
Rarest 50p coin
The rarest 50p coin is the Kew Gardens coin, which is also the rarest coin in circulation. It there were only 210,000 minted.
The football Olympic 50p coin has 1,125,500 in circulation, and the wrestling coin has 1,129,500 in circulation.
It is not so easy to evaluate the rarest 20p coins, 10p coins and even 2p coins as exact circulation figures are not known.
However, various versions of the coins are known to sell for large sums.
These include the dateless 20ps, which are actually part of a run from 2008. There may be between 50,000 and 200,000 of these coins in circulation.
The 1983 ‘New Pence’ 2p coin can also sell for a huge sum, up to £650.