Rare 'fried egg' coin that could sell for more than £170 on eBay

A coin expert is urging Brits to look out for this rare coin with a minting error that resembles a fried egg.

These coins do not need to be from a specific date but only apply to £1 and £2 coins still in circulation. They are dubbed rare "fried egg coins” because of the way the middle of the coin appears to leaks into the outer rim.

Coin Collecting Wizard has shared a video on Instagram informing people about the rare coins, which can be worth hundreds of pounds.

The voice over says: "You could be sat on a fortune if you happen to own a rare fried egg two pound coin - as collectors scramble to buy the £600 rarity. A design error on some of the Royal Mint's Mayflower 2020 coins has left them looking like a runny fried egg as as the middle has spilt out onto the outer rim."

Coin Collecting Wizard then explains how the coins are meant to have a patterned inner part and a plain outer band, but on some coins, the middle part appears to be running into the outer band.

He adds: "The coins are still legal tender and the Royal Mint has been contacted for comment.

"If you own one of these Mayflower coins, then make sure to check it closely.

"If you spot this error, then you could be in luck as this coin is highly sought-after by collectors and they are known to pay top dollar for them."

Over on eBay, there are multiple versions of this fried egg error coin being sold for upwards of £100. Currently one coin is listed for sale at £310 and one recently sold for £172.

Many people are discovering these coins and wondering how much they could be worth. One Reddit user took to r/UKcoins to share that they had found one of these rare "fried egg" coins. They wrote: "I’m not a collector at all but I found this in my change from Sainsbury’s and I know it’s quite rare, what’s the value on something like this?"

(Image Credit: Reddit)

Comments on the thread included: "Start at £100 and ask for bids. If nobody bites, you aren't losing anything. As a collector, I'd probably only pay about 40 at most. Good Luck."

Another Reddit user responded: "Average actual sale price for these is around £100 on ebay, seeing listings for £150-200 means it isnt selling for that price - auction starting at £100 seems a good way to go as another comment mentioned. Nice coin though!"

One person, who has spotted these coins without knowing their value, wrote: "Wish I knew this was a valuable mistake… gave away so many in change when working in the pub.

"I even had one recently where the centre silver part had somehow broken from the outer golden part and could spin around. I don’t even know how that happens, or if it’s valuable, but this sub randomly popping up once a week really makes me need to check my change more often."