Yahoo Finance Tiny detail on 20 cent coin means it can be worth $5,500: ‘Extremely rare’
An Aussie coin collector has told people to keep an eye out for the 1966 20 cent coins with a "wavy baseline" on the number 2.
Aussies are being urged to check their 20 cent pieces because if they find a small detail it could make them thousands of dollars richer. Coins can be worth much more than their face value for a number of reasons, including the year they were made or if they have small errors.
Victorian coin collector Michael McCauley has told Aussies to keep an eye out for 20 cent coins that feature a “wavy baseline” on the number 2. He said the small detail meant the coins were “highly valuable” and could be worth up to $5,500.
“The reason is it’s got this slight bump across the bottom of the '2’ and it’s called a wavy baseline,” McCauley shared on TikTok.
“It’s from the year 1966 and not many of these coins were produced with that cursive type ‘2’. So they are extremely rare and they can be worth a lot of money.”
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About 58.2 million 20 cent coins were struck in 1966 but only very few of them feature a “wavy baseline”.
Standard 20 cent coins will have a straight bottom to the number 2, but the 1966 wavy baseline 20 cent coin has an obvious wave to it.
McCauley said the value of individual coins would depend on their condition.
“They can be worth up to $5,500 in really good condition. So in perfect condition that $3,000 to $5,500 range,” he said.
“When they are in this sort of condition, so really worn and used condition, $200 to $600 is the usual selling price range of the coins.”
The 20 cent coin was first introduced with decimal currency in February 1966, with 30 million coins struck by the Royal Mint London and 28.2 million by the Royal Australian Mint.
Have you made bank from selling a rare coin? Tell your story at tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com
People ‘still find them’
McCauley shared he had been lucky enough to have found three of the 1966 wavy baseline 20 cent coins over the years.
“People do find them, they still find them to this day,” he said.
In the comments of the video, one person shared they had sold one of the coins for $300 while another shared they found one at home.
“Thanks mate just found one in my change jar looked at it out of curiosity,” another person added.
While you’re searching for rare coins in your change, it could also be worth looking for any 5 cent coins from the year 1972. These can be worth up to $100 due to their low mintage.
For 50 cent coins, ones minted in 1985 can fetch as much as $40, while ones from 1993 can sell for up to $15 as they are also lower mintage years.
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