Rare £2 with upside down image of Queen: how much is it worth?

A handful of 2015 Britannia £2 coins in circulation contain a striking error that could make them valuable collector’s items. Here's what you need to know.

A series of £2 coins showing the Queen's head upside down could be worth a hefty sum with coin collectors.

It's believed that around 1 in 200 of the 2015 Britannia £2 coins contain the striking error.

As there are a total of around 650,000 of these in circulation, it means fewer than 3,300 will feature the mistake.

The Royal Mint said the special effigy was “almost certainly the result of one of the dies working loose and rotating during the striking process”.

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What to look for

If you’re keeping your eyes peeled for the coin, which was first flagged up on currency collecting site Change Checker, the image of the Queen’s head will likely be offset by around 150 degrees compared to the normal Britannia design.

Yasmin Britton of Change Checker added: "If the inverted effigy is a consequence of the die slipping during the striking process, it is possible that there may be other variations where the Queen's head is less or more misaligned as the die has worked its way out of position."

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Special mistakes

The Royal Mint rarely makes an error, so when it does happen collectors jump for joy at the thought of a hunt for an exclusive coin.

It's unclear exactly how much this particular £2 Britannia coin is likely to fetch until some are sold.

However, Change Checker says they will fetch a "substantial premium". Happy hunting!

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Other valuable coins to keep an eye out for

In the past, we've seen coins with striking errors sell for hundreds of pounds.

For example, a 1983 2p coin accidentally struck with the old wording ‘New Pence’ can fetch up to £700.

Similarly, thousands of undated 20p pieces fell through the net in 2008 following a mistake in the minting process. These dateless coins fetch up to £200 each on eBay.