The rare £1 coin has a misaligned core, which means the silver coloured centre bleeds into the outer ring and makes it look like a split runny fried egg. Check your change for unusual coins
A rare £1 coin that looks like a fried egg has sold for £125 on eBay after sparking a bidding war.
The unusual design is down to a minting error - but this makes it extremely valuable to collectors.
The coin has a misaligned core, which means the silver coloured centre of the pound coin bleeds into the outer ring.
All new £1 coins are made with two metal rings - the outside is made from nickel-brass, while the inside is nickel plated brass alloy.
The inner circle is supposed to fit perfectly in the centre of the coin but this one, which is dated 2016, is elliptical in shape.
The error makes it look like a fried egg that has split. You can see the eBay listing here.
The seller wrote: “New 2016 one pound coin rare error egg shape centre. This is a circulated one pound coin. The silver centre is known as an egg shape error. A very rare find.”
It sold for £125.46 exactly, plus £6.85 express delivery, following a seven-day auction.
A total of 15 bids were placed on the rare coin, with the listing starting at 99p.
Coins that look unusual could be only one of a handful, or one of a kind - so they're hard to find. This is what makes them valuable to collectors.
But you should keep in mind that a coin is only ever really worth what someone is willing to pay for them.
Do you have a rare coin in your pocket? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk
We reported on a similar “egg error” £1 coin that sold for £257 on eBay back in December 2021 - this is around double what this new error coin sold for.
If you're selling a coin, be aware that there isn't a guarantee for how much you could get on eBay unless you set a reserve price.
Or if you’re thinking of buying a coin, you should always be wary and do your research first, as there are fakes floating around.
Websites and Facebook groups from change experts like Coin Hunter can help you work out if a coin is the real deal or not.
You can also ask the Royal Mint to verify coins, although this does involve a fee.
For more coins that could be worth a fortune, we've got a guide on the rarest error coins that could be worth up to £3,100.
Another coin to watch out for is this bizarre 20p with no date on - it can fetch up to £60 on eBay.
And this rare version of a £2 coin launched to mark the centenary of the First World War could be worth up to £500.
Meanwhile, a coin expert said how this HG Wells £2 coin could be worth up to £1,000 due to a minting error.
