A rare "silver" 2p coin has sold for £1,350 ($1,911), with the proceeds set to go to charity.
The lot was put in a Poppy Appeal tin in Wiltshire, UK and was discovered when the cash was being counted.
 The piece is identical to this silver 2p, which sold for charity last year |
Charles Vernon, treasury of the Malmesbury branch of the Royal British Legion, explained to the BBC: "When we tried to put it in the 10p pile it didn't fit - it was an anomaly and stood out."
He took it to his local bank, which suggested he send it off to the Royal Mint. Testing revealed that it was a true error rather than a fake.
The coins are created when a blank cupronickel 10p mould is accidently placed in a 2p press.
They are extremely rare, with only a handful known to exist.
The present example was minted in 2015. It sold to a corporate sponsor of the Legion.
One silver 2p coin made £1,350 ($1,911) in 1988, while another - also discovered in a charity box - sold for £800 ($1,244) in a charity auction last year.
Interested in numismatics? You've come to the right place - click here to check out all our coins for sale.
Please sign up to our free newsletter to receive exciting news about coin and banknote auctions.
