Yahoo Finance The tiny detail in your 20c coin that could be worth thousands
Got any loose change? There's a chance a 20c coin sitting at the bottom of your car’s ashtray or caught down the side of the couch could be worth thousands of dollars.
Michael McCauley, a coin collector and valuator from Ocean Grove in Victoria, posted a TikTok video on what to look for in several valuable coins.
He goes through a roll of 20 cent pieces and inspects one from 2004.
“You’re looking for a pointy A,” he says, using a toothpick to point at the A in the word Australia on the coin.
“If you find a pointy A - $9 to $10 are some recent sales prices.”
In fact, on eBay some sellers have a price tag of up to $40 for these particular 20-cent pieces. Like with most collectables, the condition of the coin can affect its value.
Other rare Australian coins
2007 double headed coin: This five cent coin has the Queen’s head printed on both sides and is worth up to $6,500.
2001 federation coin: Worth $100, this $1 coin features the Queen’s head upside down on one side. You can tell it’s upside down by looking at one side of the coin and rotating it.
2000 mule coin: This $1 coin has a double rim on the Queen’s head side. It has kangaroos on the other with a value of about $4000.
But it’s the other detail on a 20c coin which will probably have most people sorting through their loose change.
Mr McCauley shows a 1966 coin which he says “a small amount” have a wavy baseline under the “2”.
“$250 to $4000 if you can find one,” he says.
Also read: How to negotiate a pay rise in 2022
Also read: Why advertise a job without a salary?
On eBay a number of people have valued the 1966 20c piece with the wavy baseline from anywhere from $160 to $6,500.
While the value of these coins seems mouthwatering, they pale in comparison to what some overseas ones have sold for.
A 1794 silver dollar, believed to be the first minted in the US, sold for US$10 million in 2013, CNN reported.
The 1933 “Double Eagle” $20 coin, the last made out of gold, sold for $18.9 million last year, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, and subscribe to the free Fully Briefed daily newsletter.
