Aussie stumbles across rare 50 cent coin that can attract hundreds of dollars at auction

There are plenty of reasons why a coin might be worth more than just its face value and in this situation it's all due to a tiny aspect on one side.

An Aussie has stumbled across a rare 50 cent coin that can fetch hundreds of dollars at auction.

There are plenty of reasons why a coin might be worth more than just its face value and in this situation it's all due to a tiny aspect on one side.

But before we get into the details of this coin, let's quickly refresh ourselves on the 2000 Millennium 50 cent coin.

The Royal Australian Mint released more than 16 million of these coins in 2000 to celebrate the new chapter.

It features the usual Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the reverse is a stylised Australian flag with the Union Jack in the top left corner.

Normally, if you run your fingers over the central cross of the flag, you will feel the outline of the raised markings. But with these rarer coins you'll notice the recess on the metal.

The Mint reportedly wanted to include this incuse variety in the Uncirculated (Mint) coin sets for the year 2000, but it backflipped on that decision.

It is believed that roughly 200,000 coins were struck from that single die.

Now, back to our lucky Aussie who found one of these coins in her possession recently.

She took to social media to share her excitement and coin collectors quickly flooded the comments section.

"Congratulations I've been noodling 50 cent coins and still haven't found one," said one keen collector.

"I'm still looking for one," wrote another.

"I found one a few years ago and sold it for $120 on eBay," a third collector shared.

"I found one about 10 years ago and kept it. I wonder what it's worth now?" another collector chimed in.

"I found one about six months ago and sold it for $150 at a coin fair," a fifth collector added.

"I found one about 10 years ago and kept it. I wonder what it's worth now?" another collector chimed in.

"I found one about six months ago and sold it for $150 at a coin fair," a fifth collector added.

As you can see, there is a range of prices being paid for these coins, depending on factors such as the condition, whether they are circulated or uncirculated, and the demand at the time of sale.

But overall, it's clear that these coins are highly sought-after by collectors and can fetch a premium over their face value.

So, if you're ever handling a 2000 50 cent coin, be sure to take a closer look at the Australian flag on the reverse.

If the Union Jack appears to be recessed rather than raised, you might just have one of these valuable coins on your hands.