A coin expert is urging people to check their money jars and purses or a very rare piece that could be worth tens of thousands of pounds. It comes as one specific coin from the year 1945 could sell for up to £62,000.
Speaking on social media platform TikTok, an account known as the Coin Collecting Wizard told people to look out for a silver threepence coin, which is also known as a thruppence. He said that these are particularly valuable due to their rarity.
In a video shared with his more than 200,000 followers, he said: “Stop what you were doing. Did you know, this is the rarest British circulating coin for 200 years and is worth £62,000?
“This 1945 silver threepence was recently found by a coin collector in a folder of coins. So it really shows you that you can find rare coins out there.”
He explained more about the history of the coin: “The silver threepence had become so unpopular by 1945 and the mint had already changed them in 1937 to the bigger heavier 12-sided nickel brass threepence.
“But silver threepences were still being made alongside the brass version. In 1945, the silver coin’s final year, a mintage of 371,000 pieces was apparently deemed redundant because of public acceptance of the nickel brass version and was ordered to be melted down, its silver to be used in other mint products.”
The expert added: “But as always with these things, some escaped their fate and have been found in random albums around the world and might just be sitting in your coin jar. The most recent one found went for £62,000 at auction.”