'Rarest ever known penny' could sell for £100k at auction – and it might be in your pocket

Three piles of small change mainly in two pence and one pence pieces on top of other small change in sterling currency
-Credit: (Image: Getty Images)


The "rarest ever penny" to exist is set to sell for an staggering £100,000 at auction.

It's always worth checking your rare coin collection as you never know when you're sitting on a jackpot. In recent months, we've seen plenty of pieces hit headlines, including the "rarest" 50p coin which is "skyrocketing in value".

Now over on TikTok, user @CoinCollectingWizard, who boasts 209,400 followers, discussed the 1954 penny which has just recently been found in the UK. He claimed it holds an estimate value of £90,000, although it might sell for up to £100,000 at auction.

The caption read: "1954 penny at auction estimated at £90,000-£100,000." Meanwhile in the video, he revealed: "Here is some information on the coin and what to look for, you probably want to save this."

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Describing the coin, he claimed the penny's reverse shows Britannia seated facing right wearing a helmet and holding a trident. He continued: "Her other hand rests on a shield bearing combined heraldic crosses of UK members.

"One and penny are in the fields, a lighthouse is in the background to the left and the date is in the exert below. And this just happens to be a 1954 penny, the rarest penny ever known even rarer than the 1933 penny.

"As you may know the 1933 penny recently sold at auction for over £100,000. And now that a 1954 has appeared at an online auction, we know have an estimate for this coin between £90,000 and £100,000."

Since the video was shared on TikTok, it garnered nearly 500 likes and dozens of comments. One said: "I have one from 1933, is that worth anything?" While another asked a similar question. Meanwhile a third chimed in: "I have it."

The 1954 coin is a one-penny piece from the United Kingdom which was in circulation from 1954 to 1970. It is worth one-twelfth of a shilling, or one-two-hundred and fortieth of a pound.

It's worth noting the 1954 is one of Britain's most famous coin rarities, many other coins are of equal or greater rarity, but the 1954 has become the best known of these rarities.

So do you have this coin? If you think you do, it's worth reaching out to a professional who can have it examined for you. In some cases, the kind of pennies which are scarce often feature an error or come with low mintage.