THERE is an exact date you need to look out for on an ultra-rare 1p coin worth up to £1million.
Just a handful of the rare 1954 were struck as part of a test by The Royal Mint, which makes British coins.
These experimental coins weren't actually put into circulation so are considered extremely rare.
But stumble across one and you could earn potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds.
In a recent video, account Coincollectingwizard explained: “The 1954 penny is one of the rarest British coins ever made and most people have never even seen one.
“Queen Elizabeth (II) had just taken the throne and while coins were being redesigned The Royal Mint didn't need any new pennies for circulation.
“But here's the twist. A tiny handful were secretly struck for internal use and testing.
“Just a few examples are known to exist. These weren't meant for public use, they were never circulated and that's what makes them so valuable.
“One sold in a private sale for over £100,000 years ago. But experts say if one hit auction today it could break £1million.”
Because the 1954 1p coins are so few and far between, experts say if you think you've found one, you should get it verified.
The 1p piece you've found might be for another country or area like British West Africa, or .
Double-check that the piece features the 1954 date as well.
How to spot a rare coin
A coin is usually classed as rare if it meets two criteria – a low mintage figure or it was struck in error.
The mintage figure of a coin relates to how many of it were struck and put into circulation.
For that reason, the less that have been struck the rarer and potentially valuable it is considered to be.
The Royal Mint has a list of some of the rarest coins you might be able to find in your spare change on its website.
For example, the 2023 Atlantic Salmon 50p is considered the rarest 50p piece, with only 200,000 minted.
In second is the Kew Gardens 2009 50p, of which 210,000 were struck and put into circulation.
How much you can get for either of these coins depends, on eBay.
The other type of rare coin is an “error” coin, made when an issue occurs during the manufacturing process.
Usually, there's just a handful of these types of coins because they were made incorrectly.
One rare £2 error coin previously while .
How to sell a rare coin
You've got three main options: in auction, on or on Marketplace.
The safest way to sell a rare coin is more than likely at auction. You can organise this with The Royal Mint's Collectors Service.
It has a team of experts who can help you authenticate and value your coin.
You can get in touch via email and a member of the valuation team will get back to you.
You will be charged for the service though – the cost varies depending on the size of your collection.
If you are selling on eBay, make sure you list the coin's price accurately.
You can do this by checking how much other sellers have sold the same piece for.
It's pointless listing a rare 50p for £100 if people have only been willing to pay £50 for it previously, for example.
Finally, you can sell on Facebook Marketplace, but be wary of scammers trying to get you to transfer to dodgy accounts.
It can be easier to meet buyers in person and get cash for your coin, but only in daylight and in a public place.
In any case, if you're selling on eBay or Facebook, decent pictures will help the coin sell for the best price.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
