A twenty pence coin dated 1985 is expected to fetch as much as €6,000 in Whyte’s Eclectic Collector auction in Dublin on 6 April. These coins were issued in advance of production to various companies and organisations to facilitate calibration of vending machines and other coin-operated devices such as telephones, meters etc.
According to sources in the Central Bank, less than 50 pieces of the 500 or so issued were not returned. To date, about ten examples in private hands have been recorded, making it one of the rarest Irish modern coins.
Just remember the date – 1985 – no other twenty-pence piece is worth more than its face value according to Whytes Auctioneers.
All very useful information if you have a super rare 20p piece but if you don't, you just might have a millennium pound coin!
These punts were issued to mark the turning of the millennium and only 2 years before Ireland adopted the euro. At the time whispers, rumours and MORE whispers suggested that the 1 Pound millennium coin would be worth thousands in years to come. 19 Years later, how much are they really worth?
£1 = €1.25
Sorry to burst your bubble but this is what Ian Whyte of Whyte's Auctioneers told The Lift on iRadio: The Ordinary pound coin we spent in the shops weren't very rare, you can go to dealers and buy them for 2 or 3 euro but they won't pay you that for them, I don't think they'll ever be any value, there were millions and millions of them issued"
There is a good chance these bad boys could actually fetch more than the humble millennium pound coin.
Image - http://mathcs.albion.edu
