A common 50p coin has been sold on eBay for more than £63,000 - here’s how to spot one in your change

A 50p coin depicting the Battle of Hastings has sold on eBay for more than £63,000 - and there are reportedly over six million more of the coins in circulation (Photo: Shutterstock)A 50p coin depicting the Battle of Hastings has sold on eBay for more than £63,000 - and there are reportedly over six million more of the coins in circulation (Photo: Shutterstock)
A 50p coin depicting the Battle of Hastings has sold on eBay for more than £63,000 - and there are reportedly over six million more of the coins in circulation (Photo: Shutterstock)

A 50p coin depicting the Battle of Hastings has sold on eBay for more than £63,000 - and there are reportedly over six million more of the coins in circulation.

The design was minted in 2016 to mark the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings and was created by designer John Bergdahl.

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One of the 50p coins was listed on eBay on 15 June, before then selling for a staggering £63,100 - 126,000 times its face value. The coin had 41 bids by the time the auction ended.

What does the coin look like?

The coin, which some experts say is not a rare edition, illustrates King Harold with an arrow through his eye, taken from the Bayeux Tapestry.

The Bayeux Tapestry was created to remember the day when King Harold II was defeated by William the Conqueror, which led to the conquest of England by the Normans.

6 million coins in circulation

There are estimated to be 6.7 million more of these 50p Battle of Hastings coins out there in circulation.

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Experts have said that the Battle of Hastings coin’s sudden rise in popularity could be down to people using less cash due to the pandemic.

Alexandra Fiddons, a coin expert at ChangeChecker, told Mirror Money, "Values for coins tend to vary every now and then and it could be that demand for 50ps has gone up because we're seeing less change used right now because of coronavirus.

"The ones with historical anniversaries tend to do better amongst collectors - and this one sparked a clear pricing war.

"That said, there are other Battle of Hastings 50p coins on eBay selling for £2, so do your research."

CoinHunter values this 50p coin to be worth around £12.99, while other Battle of Hastings 50 pence pieces have sold for up to £10.