這枚看似不起眼的硬幣現在價值近 1,000 美元——是其面值的 2,800 倍

一名男子在買午餐時，收到一枚看似不起眼的硬幣作為零錢的一部分。殊不知，這枚硬幣如今已價值近1,000美元

During a routine lunch purchase, a man in the UK received an unremarkable coin as part of his change, unaware that it would later be valued at nearly $1,000.

在例行購買午餐時，一名英國男子收到了一枚不起眼的硬幣作為找零的一部分，他沒有意識到這枚硬幣後來的價值接近 1,000 美元。

The coin, a 25p piece, is set to go under the hammer at RWB Auctions on Wednesday, with an estimated value that is around 2,800 times its face value.

這枚硬幣面額為 25 便士，將於週三在 RWB 拍賣會上進行拍賣，估價約為其面額的 2,800 倍。

According to Kimberly Day, the head of coins at RWB Auctions, a handful of similar coins have emerged in the past.

RWB 拍賣公司錢幣負責人 Kimberly Day 表示，過去曾出現過一些類似的錢幣。

"There have been a couple of other examples that have gone to auction or sold in the past, but we are talking about a handful," Day told Business Insider in an interview. "It's very, very rare."

戴在接受《商業內幕》採訪時表示：“過去還有一些其他的例子被拍賣或出售，但我們談論的是少數。” “這是非常非常罕見的。”

The rarity stems from the fact that there is no standard 25p coin in UK currency.

其稀有性源自於英國貨幣沒有標準的 25 便士硬幣。

This specimen, as described in the auction catalog, is among a small batch of trial coins struck in 1981 by the Royal Mint "as part of an experiment" to determine a denomination that would fit between the existing 10p and 50p coins.

正如拍賣目錄中所描述的，這枚樣本是皇家造幣廠於 1981 年「作為實驗的一部分」鑄造的一小批試驗硬幣之一，目的是確定適合現有 10 便士和 50 便士硬幣的面額。

The Royal Mint ultimately decided against the 25p denomination, introducing the widely used 20p piece instead, which features a design that closely resembles the trial coin.

英國皇家造幣廠最終決定放棄 25 便士面額，轉而推出廣泛使用的 20 便士，其設計與試製幣非常相似。

The coin might have easily gone unnoticed by most people, but its unique appearance caught the attention of the seller, a man from Shropshire, central England, who realized he had something special on his hands.

這枚硬幣可能很容易被大多數人忽視，但它獨特的外觀引起了賣家的注意，賣家是一位來自英格蘭中部什羅普郡的男子，他意識到自己手上有一些特別的東西。

"I bet plenty of people have had these in their change, in their wallets, and they've probably just passed it on again," Day told BI.

「我敢打賭，很多人的零錢、錢包裡都曾有過這些東西，而且他們可能只是再次將其傳遞出去，」戴告訴《商業時報》。

The seller, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the auction house that he received the coin as lunch change about five years ago and set it aside, recognizing that it was not an ordinary coin.

不願透露姓名的賣家告訴拍賣行，他大約五年前收到了這枚硬幣作為午餐零錢，並把它放在一邊，因為他意識到這不是一枚普通的硬幣。

When a similar coin made headlines years later, he decided to have his own examined, leading to the discovery of its rarity.

幾年後，當一枚類似的硬幣成為頭條新聞時，他決定檢查自己的硬幣，從而發現了它的稀有性。

The coin's rarity is evident in the lack of information about it online. However, its discovery has sparked interest among coin collectors, with several enthusiasts visiting the auction house to view the coin firsthand.

網路上缺乏有關該硬幣的信息，可見該硬幣的稀有性。然而，它的發現引起了硬幣收藏家的興趣，一些愛好者前往拍賣行親眼目睹了這枚硬幣。

It's amazing how an unassuming coin, like the ordinary-looking 20p piece, can turn out to be a hidden gem, attracting attention from collectors far and wide.

令人驚訝的是，一枚不起眼的硬幣，就像看似普通的 20 便士硬幣一樣，竟然是一顆隱藏的寶石，吸引了四面八方收藏家的注意。