Rare Lord Kitchener £2 coin error makes it worth over £500 - how to spot it

The rare coin, which has fetched more than £500 at auction, is still believed to be in circulation and features an error that makes it extremely valuable to collectors

A rare £2 coin, which is still in circulation, could be worth more than £500 due to an error that makes it extremely valuable to collectors.

The coin, which was originally released in 2014 by the Royal Mint, commemorates 100 years since the start of the First World War.

It features the face of Lord Kitchener on the 'heads' side of the coin, while the 'tails' side features a poppy design.

While a normal version of the coin will be worth no more than its face value of £2, a batch of the coins featured a rare error that boost their value for collectors.

On some of the coins the words “Two Pounds” are missing on the head side of the coin.

According to experts at Coin Hunter, 5,720,000 of these coins are still in circulation - but it appears to be “very rare” to find one without a date.

It isn’t clear exactly how many of the coins with an error remain in circulation, but the first of its kind sold in March 2020 for £500.

Coin Hunter experts said on Facebook : "Check your coins that feature Lord Kitchener.

"If the heads side does not show 'TWO POUNDS' - you have an error that appears to be very rare."

Coin errors can occur during the minting process and can vary in severity.

Some errors, such as a coin being struck twice, can be easily spotted by the naked eye, while others may require magnification to be seen.

Errors that are more noticeable tend to be more valuable to collectors.

The value of a coin with an error will also depend on the rarity of the error and the demand for the coin among collectors.

In some cases, a coin with an error may be worth hundreds or even thousands of pounds more than its original face value.