To celebrate the wedding of Charles and Diana in July 1981, The Royal Mint produced a commemorative coin. Now this historic piece is being listed online for £10,000, but it’s not all that it seems
A coin produced to mark the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana is being listed for £10,000 online. The Royal Mint produced a historic piece tariffed at 25p to celebrate their nuptials in 1981, although no denomination was inscribed on the coin.
It was the first time three people were portrayed on a British coin, with the reverse showing conjoined profiles of the royal couple. Now one rare coin collector has issued a warning after seeing the piece on sale for an eye-watering £10,000. Posting on Instagram, the user, known as the @CoinCollectingWizard, told his 36,500 followers: “I came across this news article regarding the coin being worth £10,000 and I could not believe it.”
Discussing the coin, the expert revealed how it’s not possible the piece is worth that much, given its mintage.
He continued: “The 1981 Charles and Diana coin was made to celebrate the now-King Charles and Diana’s wedding and guess what they made millions of them, literally millions.
“That means almost everyone’s nan has one in her drawer somewhere, it’s a commemorative crown, a large 25p coin even though it’s bigger than a modern 50p, it’s officially worth 25p.
“It’s made of cupro-nickel alloy, which is 75% copper and 25% nickel, so its metal values is basically just pennies. Some were sold in presentation cases, blue boxes and red wallets, but even those are very common.”
He claimed “absolutely none” are worth £10,000 unless there is some error, but in this instance these would have to be authenticated.
Giving advice, he concluded: “If you ever see a coin listed for thousands on eBay, make sure you check the sold listings, not the asking prices.”
Before £5 coins, major Royal events and national celebrations were marked by The Royal Mint with crown coins struck to the exact same specification as today’s £5 coins.
Meanwhile, this historic UK coin was one of just four decimal crown coins ever to be struck.
It was issued in 1981, the year the then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana tied the knot.
The couple celebrated their wedding on July 29 when 20-year-old Diana Spencer became Princess of Wales after exchanging vows at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
How to tell if your rare coin is worth a fortune:
- Check the mintage: Often coins which were produced with fewer in circulation tend to be more desirable to collectors, for example the Kew Gardens has just 210,000 out there.
- Condition: Like anything that’s worth a lot of money, your rare coin must be in excellent condition. Higher grades tend to be more valuable.
- Errors: Misprints are rare and sought-after, so check for little details like the coin’s date, the mint mark or metal content which could all be wrong.
- Historical significance: Make sure you compare it to sold listings on auctions sites to work out its market value.
