This 50p coin with a tiny "mark" missing sold for 200 times its usual value - do you have one?

The King Charles Atlantic Salmon 50p was advertised as having "no privy mark" on eBay. It later sold for a whopping £102 following 23 bids from eager collectors.

A RARE 50p coin, sold for 200 times its usual value, had a particular tiny "mark" missing - but what does this mysterious mark mean?

The King Charles Atlantic Salmon 50p was advertised as having "no privy mark" on eBay.

It later sold for a whopping £102 following 23 bids from eager collectors.

A privy mark is a tiny crown symbol stamped onto some coins on the "heads" or "obverse" side - or on the rim.

In the case of the King Charles Atlantic Salmon 50p, first minted in 2023 in celebration of Charles' ascension of the throne, the privy mark is a small Tudor crown.

It can be spotted just behind the King's head.

Only a small number of coins in circulation have a privy mark, as they're only etched onto coins produced for special occasions - such as coronations and jubilees - and for collector's editions.

The limited number of coins with privy marks means they have greater collectability factor - and are generally more valuable.

But, confusingly, 2023 Atlantic Salmon 50p coins are actually more valuable without privy marks.

There were only 200,000 of these mark-less coins put into general circulation, making them even rarer than the Kew Gardens 50p - and therefore extremely valuable.

As well as the recent £120 sale, another example of the same coin sold for £110 this week.

By contrast, you quite easily can buy the version with a privy mark - which were never released into circulation - direct from the Royal Mint.

They are sold as part of "Definitive Annual Sets" for £34.

So, if you come across a King Charles Atlantic Salmon dated 2023 and without a privy mark in your loose change, you may just be in for a hefty profit.

In fact, a bag of these plain-looking coins sold this week for a huge £1,700 after a bidding war.