Rare Brexit 50p coin could be worth over £40,000 — check your change now

Britons are being urged to check their loose change to see if they own a rare 50p coin, which could be worth tens of thousands of pounds.

Two rare 50p coins that were supposed to have been melted down and recycled could be worth more than £40,000 each.

The coins were minted in 2019 to mark Brexit day on October 31 of that year, but the coins were never released into circulation after then prime minister Boris Johnson's deal was not passed in time.

Instead, the coins were supposed to have been melted down and used to make new coins, with a batch of coins minted in 2019 being withdrawn from circulation in early 2020.

However, two of the coins appear to have escaped the melting pot and have now surfaced, with one being sold at auction and the other being examined by an expert at Spink & Son auction house.

The coins are inscribed with the words "peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations" and feature the Union Jack flag on one side and a depiction of Britannia on the other.

The coins that were minted in 2019 are different to the 50p coins that were released into circulation in 2020, which feature the words "friendship with all nations throughout the world" and have a depiction of Britannia standing on a rock.

Gregory Edmund, a numismatic specialist from Spink & Son, told the Telegraph that he believes the coins could fetch more than £40,000 each at auction.

He said: "Ever since the official London Gazette notice for the 2019 Brexit 50 pence has existed, I have wondered if survivors of the one million cancelled coins would one day surface.

"Given the extremely stringent security at the Royal Mint, to suddenly have two examples survive, and be available for study at the same time, is a unique opportunity.

"This truly feels like my Charlie Bucket moment discovering the numismatic Golden Ticket."

Mr Edmund, who has urged other owners to contact him at [email protected] if they believe they have discovered one of the valuable decimal coins, said this was the first time since 1690 that a coin minted in the UK featuring both the day and year was struck.

While the two 2019 coins that have surfaced have yet to be verified as genuine by the Royal Mint, Mr Edmund said he believed the coin could fetch more than an astonishing £40,000.