By Euronews
Published on
At the bakery, at the parking meter or in the supermarket, coins usually change hands without anyone checking them. Yet it can be worth taking a closer look at your change: some 2-euro pieces have a collector value that far exceeds their face value. What matters, however, are specific features. An unusual design alone does not turn a coin into a rarity.
Grace Kelly: From two euros to 3,000
One of the best-known treasures is a 2-euro commemorative coin from Monaco issued in 2007. It marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Princess Gracia Patricia, formerly Hollywood actress Grace Kelly. The European Central Bank puts the mintage at just 20,001 copies. The coin can be recognised by the portrait of the princess, the country name "MONACO" and the year 2007. To the right of the effigy is the artist's name, "R.B. BARON".
Experts estimate this coin to be worth around 3,100 euros.
There is a big catch, though: it was sold directly to collectors and was not released into normal circulation. Finding one in your change would therefore be extremely unlikely. In principle it is a valid 2-euro coin and could be used for payments, but hardly anyone would do so deliberately.
When a mistake makes a coin interesting
Alongside rare issues, errors can also increase a coin's value, and making such a find would be more realistic. A striking example is the so-called fried-egg strike: the differently coloured inner part of a 1- or 2-euro coin is not seated correctly, so its metal is pressed partly into the outer ring. The irregular shape resembles a fried egg.
A pronounced rotation of the two sides of the coin relative to each other or striking on the wrong blank can also be of interest. Business magazine "WirtschaftsWoche" cites possible values of up to 100 euros for fried-egg strikes, up to 200 euros for rotated dies and up to 650 euros for pieces struck on the wrong blanks.
When coins are produced, two different metal parts are joined and struck under high pressure. Despite precise technology and careful checks, faulty specimens occasionally make their way into circulation.
In this case, the German 2-euro commemorative coin "Saxony-Anhalt" from 2021 was struck on a 1-euro blank. As a result, the colours are reversed compared with a normal 2-euro piece: the outer ring is gold-coloured, the inner part silver-coloured. The specimen also weighs only 7.50 grams instead of the usual 8.50 grams.
Coin dealer Münzen Müller values a comparable minting error at 1,200 euros.
This tiny "S" won't make you rich
How quickly an ordinary coin can turn into an alleged sensation on the internet is illustrated by examples of Greek coins with a small "S" in one of the stars, which are repeatedly offered as valuable minting errors, reports zwei-euro.com.
In reality the letter stands for "Suomi", meaning Finland, where part of the Greek coins were produced. According to coin experts, this is a regular variety with a mintage of 70 million pieces. The "S" alone therefore does not justify any exceptional value.
Found a valuable coin? Don't polish it!
If you spot an unusual coin, you should first identify the issuing country, year and motif. The ECB documents the official 2-euro commemorative issues on its website.
If you then believe you have discovered a valuable specimen, you should have it assessed by a specialist coin dealer or auction house. If the find is confirmed, a direct sale or an auction may be possible. Make sure you ask in advance about any fees, and do not clean or polish the coin, as this can reduce its value to collectors. Rubbing or polishing can cause the finest scratches and strip away the original mint lustre.