Silver 2 pence

Error Silver Two Pence

UK
Value	£0.02 (face value)
Mass	7.12 g
Diameter	25.9 mm
Shape	Circle
Composition	Cupro-nickel or Nickel-plated steel used in 10 pence
Obverse
Reverse

Silver two pences are British error coins that occur when silver-coloured two pence British coins are accidentally struck after a cupro-nickel blank, which is used for ten pence coins, was left inside the barrel during the minting process. ^{[1] [2]}

Comparison between normal two pence coin (left) and error coin

Silver two pence 1971

Years of minting

• 1971: struck on cupro-nickel blank
• 1992 - 2018: cupro-nickel blank
• 2001: Copperless, appears duller than the others

Silver 2 pence 2011 (note the dull colour)

Occasions found

• 2014: A petrol station owner found a silver two pence in a new packet of coins minted in 1988. The coin sold for £1,200 at the Charterhouse Auction house in Sherborne. ^[3]
• 2015: A 1971 silver two pence was found in the donation box for unwanted foreign currency at a hospital in Reading. ^[3]
• 2016: A silver two pence was found in a Poppy Appeal tin. The mint confirmed that this two pence was set in nickel-plated steel usually used for ten pences. It is now owned by the Westminster Collection. ^[2]

References

1. "Donated 2p coin auctioned for £800 by Reading hospital". BBC News. 19 July 2015.
2. "'Silver' 2p sells for £1,350 - 67,500 times face value". BBC News. 15 June 2016.
3. "Rare 2p coin put in hospital donation could fetch £1k". BBC News. 17 July 2015.