罕见的 25 便士硬币，看起来像 20 便士，价值高达 700 英镑

25便士硬币的形状与普通20便士硬币相似，但一侧有一个盾牌，上面写着“实验硬币”，另一侧有主权球。

A Wiltshire man, who is not a coin collector, had his lucky day when he was handed the rare 25p coin in his change several years ago.

一名威尔特郡男子并非硬币收藏家，几年前他在找零时遇到了一枚罕见的 25 便士硬币，这让他感到很幸运。

After hanging on to it for some time, he was informed by experts at RWB Auctions, which has a track record for selling the rarest UK error coins, that the coin was likely to sell for between £500 and £700.

在持有这枚硬币一段时间后，RWB 拍卖行的专家告诉他，这枚硬币的售价可能在 500 至 700 英镑之间，该公司拥有出售最稀有的英国错误硬币的记录。

It will now go under the hammer in Royal Wootton Bassett on Wednesday, September 25 as part of a specialist sale of historic and modern currency.

该币将于 9 月 25 日星期三在皇家伍顿巴西特进行拍卖，作为历史和现代货币专业拍卖的一部分。

It has been estimated that no more than 50 of these 25p trial pieces survive in the world, making it significantly rarer than the famous Kew Gardens 50p, of which 210,000 were made.

据估计，这些 25 便士试制版在世界上存世量不超过 50 枚，比著名的英国皇家植物园 50 便士（共生产了 21 万枚）要稀有得多。

“This is a fascinating piece not just for the rarity but as a glimpse of what our currency could have been," said Youtuber Christopher Collects, who works as a coin expert for RWB Auctions.

RWB 拍卖行的钱币专家、Youtuber Christopher Collects 表示：“这是一件令人着迷的作品，不仅因为它的稀有性，而且让我们得以一睹我们的货币本来的样子。”

"20p coins are a fixture in our change now, but the Royal Mint seems to have experimented with various ideas before they settled on the seven-sided coin we all recognise.

“现在 20 便士硬币是我们变革中的固定货币，但皇家造币厂似乎尝试了各种想法，然后才最终确定了我们都认可的七面硬币。

"Trial pieces are best thought of as experimental coins minted to see if they would work in circulation.

“试制品最好被认为是铸造的实验硬币，看看它们是否可以流通。

"They would have been used to demonstrate the concept of a new coin to officials and may have been sent out to businesses that handle lots of cash to try out. Think of companies that make vending machines or operate parking meters.

“它们将被用来向官员展示新硬币的概念，并可能被发送给处理大量现金的企业进行尝试。想想制造自动售货机或运营停车计时器的公司。

“This trial coin could easily be mistaken for a 20p, but we are certain it will sell for a lot more than that.

“这枚试用币很容易被误认为是 20 便士，但我们确信它的售价会比这高得多。

"While there are not many of these experimental 25p pieces out there, it's worth checking your change to ensure you haven’t been handed a rare and valuable coin!”

“虽然市面上这种实验性的 25 便士硬币并不多，但还是值得检查一下你的零钱，以确保你没有收到一枚稀有且有价值的硬币！”