Silver two pences are British error coins that occur when silver-coloured two pence British coins are accidentally struck after a cupro-nickel blank, which is used for ten pence coins, was left inside the barrel during the minting process.[1][2]
UK | |
| Value | £0.02 (face value) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 7.12 g |
| Diameter | 25.9 mm |
| Shape | Circle |
| Composition | Cupro-nickel or Nickel-plated steel used in 10 pence |
| Obverse | |
 | |
| Reverse | |
 | |
Years of minting
edit- 1971: struck on cupro-nickel blank
- 1992 - 2018: cupro-nickel blank
- 2001: Copperless, appears duller than the others
Occasions found
edit- 2014: A petrol station owner found a silver two pence in a new packet of coins minted in 1988. The coin sold for £1,200 at the Charterhouse Auction house in Sherborne.[3]
- 2015: A 1971 silver two pence was found in the donation box for unwanted foreign currency at a hospital in Reading.[3]
- 2016: A silver two pence was found in a Poppy Appeal tin. The mint confirmed that this two pence was set in nickel-plated steel usually used for ten pences. It is now owned by the Westminster Collection.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Donated 2p coin auctioned for £800 by Reading hospital". BBC News. 19 July 2015.
- ^ a b "'Silver' 2p sells for £1,350 - 67,500 times face value". BBC News. 15 June 2016.
- ^ a b "Rare 2p coin put in hospital donation could fetch £1k". BBC News. 17 July 2015.