The Royal Mint produced the dateless coinage in 2008 and only a limited number are now in circulation.
Yet pregnant Birmingham mum Sabrina Hussain has managed to find TWO of the rare pieces – which have previously sold on internet auction site eBay for £7,100 each.
One was given to her in change after buying a losing scratchcard – and she discovered the other in the bottom of her handbag.
Sabrina, 22 and from Winson Green, said: “I saw a story in the paper about a year ago about these rare 20p pieces.
“I emptied my handbag then and found the first one at the bottom, but decided against selling straight away.
“Then a couple of weeks ago I was at a corner shop buying a scratchcard and there was another undated 20p in my change. I couldn’t believe it, the scratchcard didn’t win, but I’d got another rare coin! It was amazing.
“I went back into the store and told all the staff who were gutted that they hadn’t found it. But I was over the moon.”
Last year one of the rare dateless coins sold on eBay for £7,100.
Sabrina, mum to two year-old daughter Skye, said: “I heard that they were going for a lot of money, so I’ve decided to get them properly valued by a professional.
‘‘I may sell one but I may also keep the other until my daughter is 18 – just imagine what it might be worth then.”
But expert Dave Harris from Birmingham Coins, based in Acocks Green, said Sabrina should sell the two 20p pieces now while they are popular.
“My advice would be to put these up on eBay and let people bid for them on the internet,” he said.
“There’s no guarantee how much these will be worth in the future, if anyone could tell that they’d be a millionaire.
“But my opinion is that these coins are valuable because they have had an air of mystery about them created by publicity, and that now is as good a time as any to cash in.”
And Peter Viola, an expert numismatist from the Warwick Antiques Centre, said: “She should strike now while the iron is hot.
“The best way to get value for money is to put them up for sale on the internet, because a lot of dealers have been overwhelmed with them.”
Big-hearted Sabrina says she would spend any windfall on looking after her young family, as well as donating some cash to charity.
“If they did turn out to be worth thousands, I’d look after my mum and my kids first,” she said.
“I would give some to the local children’s hospice and if I could afford it I would buy the house we’re living in.
“If there was enough to spoil myself, I’d go on holiday to Dubai. It looks fantastic over there.”
by ben.goldby
Source: http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2010/10/24/pregnant-birmingham-mum-finds-20p-coins-which-could-fetch-14-000-66331-27532452/2/
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