Rare £1 coin with copper-colored outer ring sells for £46.04 on eBay, Digi Mart USA News (United Kingdom): It may be worth checking your sofa cushions and loose change. A £1 coin with what has been described as a “highly unusual” error has recently sold on eBay for far more than its face value.
While the center of the coin is silver, the outer ring is the wrong color. In a recent auction listing, the coin was described as “highly unusual” and a “fantastic addition” for coin collectors, with the error driving up its value.
The £1 coin sold for £46.04 on eBay because it was minted with the error. Instead of the usual pale-gold outer edge, the ring is a striking copper hue.
The listing read: “Unlike the standard pale-gold nickel-brass rings found on normal £1 coins, this specific 2025 coin has a uniform, vibrant copper tone across the entire outer ring on both sides.
“The colouration is incredibly even, highlighting the mint lustre, making it a fantastic addition for any collector of modern UK decimal errors and variations. Circulated, but held by edges and carefully stored in a protective pocket since discovery to preserve the finish.”
One collector purchased the coin for £46.04 plus £2.72 postage on Friday, October 16. The sale price was 46 times the coin’s face value, and the listing is likely to prompt people to check their change for the same error.
The £1 coin was first issued in April 1983 to replace the £1 note. To make it easy to identify, the round £1 was thicker than other coins, and its yellow color allowed it to stand out from the cupro-nickel silver coins already in circulation.
Since then, there have been several variations of the coin. In 2017, the round £1 coin was replaced with a new 12-sided design.
The coin was updated again in August 2024, when the first King Charles III coin, which features two honey bees on the reverse, entered general circulation.
