'Rare' 50p coin selling for 500 times its face value - do YOU have one?

eBay sees hundreds of rare coin listings every single day, with collectors and sellers the world over keeping their eyes peeled for a find.

Amongst those coins worth far more than their stated value is the 2005 Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary 50p coin, with one listed on eBay this morning for £250.

Described as a "rare 50p coin", the coin had a mintage of 17,649,000, meaning owning one isn’t within far reach.

Minted in 2005, the coin was designed by English artist Tom Phillips and features entries from the historic dictionary for the words city and pence, with the figure 50 above and the inscription Johnson’s Dictionary 1755 below.

The coin was created to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language, echoing the eBay listing’s £250 selling price.

The listing's short description doesn't give much away, only reading “circulated rare Johnson’s dictionary 50pence piece”. The coin is listed by eBay user dawbotha.

Whilst displaying a hefty “buy it now” price of £250, the coin is also up for auction at a more affordable £150.

Despite no bids being submitted, the coin is gathering interest in the online market place, with eBay marking it as having two views per hour.

Boasting 100 per cent positive feedback, the seller is based in Maidstone, Kent and has no other listings for sale.

An indentical coin to the one listed by dawbotha this morning is also selling on eBay, but for a more hefty price tag at £349.

Despite the high listing price, it could be that the coin isn’t as “rare” as these eBay users have been led to believe.

The scarcity index on ChangeChecker.org actually lists the coin as “common”, possibly not racking up as much value as thought in its 12 years of circulation.

Despite its questionable rarity, the coin celebrates an important moment in British history and the life of a worthy scholar.

Samuel Johnson’s A Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1755, taking eight years to write, and is one of the most influential dictionaries in the history of the English language.

So influential it was that authors such as Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy and Oscar Wilde all referred to the text. The listed coin on eBay was minted 12 years ago to mark the anniversary of its publication.

It can be hard to keep on top of change that could change your day, with a “defected” 2016 £1 coin listed last week on the auction site for a whopping £3500. 

The coin, located in Portsmouth, might have had keen collectors doing a double take, minted with defects on all sides including edges.

Perhaps more rare than the listed Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary 50p piece is the rare Beatrix Potter Petter Rabbit 50p coin. The 50p piece features a portrait of Peter Rabbit and was minted in 2016.

After an intense bidding war, one of these points was sold for a staggering £712 on the online auction site. 

Justifying the need to check your change even more, another rare 50p coin, also a Beautic Potter design, sold for £500 on eBay.