SerpApi.Org
That old jar of loose change gathering dust in the kitchen could be hiding a small fortune.
Coin collectors are on the hunt for one of Ireland’s rarest 20p pieces – and if you’re lucky enough to find one, it could fetch as much as €15,000.
The highly sought-after coin carries the date 1985, even though the 20p coin wasn’t officially introduced until the following year.
That’s because just 500 examples were struck by the Central Bank as trial coins, before the new denomination entered circulation in 1986.
The sample coins were issued to companies so vending machines and public telephone boxes could be adjusted to recognise the new currency before it was launched nationwide.
Once the testing programme ended, the coins were meant to be returned to the Central Bank and withdrawn from use.
But evidently, not all of them made their way back.
Experts believe around 50 of the trial coins escaped collection and could still be sitting in private collections, or even hidden among old coins in homes across the country.
The easiest way to spot one is by checking the date. If your Irish 20p piece is marked 1985 rather than 1986 or later, you could be holding one of the rarest coins ever issued in Ireland.
Because of their scarcity and historical significance, genuine examples have been valued at up to €15,000, making them one of the most valuable Irish decimal coins in existence.
So before you cash in that old piggy bank or throw away a handful of forgotten coins, it might be worth taking a closer look; your spare change could be worth far more than 20p.
