eBay: Rare 50p coin selling for £500 – do you have one of the 2005 Dictionary coins?

Ebay is a fantastic resource if you want to buy and sell rare coins.

A certain 50p coin is selling for the sky high price of £500 on the site.

If you have one of these coins, you too could try your luck at selling it on the platform.

The coin is inscribed with a dictionary definition for the word “penny”.

It has the words “Johnson’s Dictionary 1755” at the bottom.

It is listed by eBay user jaminylan_0 who has 100 per cent positive feedback.

There are 19 people watching the listing, suggesting it is in high demand.

So what is the significance of this rare coin and when was it created?

The Royal Mint website provides a handy clue as to its origins.

The site tells us the reverse of the coin was designed by Tom Philips and it was first created in 2005.

The description reads: “Entries from the dictionary for the words FIFTY and PENCE, with the figure '50' above, and the inscription JOHNSON'S DICTIONARY 1755 below.

“Greeted with joy and great relief in the English intellectual world, Samuel Johnson's Dictionary was published in 1755.

“250 years later, the dedicated scholar was honoured with a commemorative fifty pence coin.

Aptly enough, the detailed reverse by Tom Phillips shows Johnson's explanation for fifty pence, while the obverse features the portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley, FRBS.”

The £2 coin was minted in 2010 and features a hands design: one person holds another person’s hand in theirs.

The coin is listed by eBay user mjamal44 who has a 100 per cent positive feedback rating on the site.

The listing description explains that the coin has a particular error. This is quality likely to make it more valuable among collectors.

It reads: “Florence Nightingale £2 coin circulated hence bit of scratches. Very rare. Minting error.

“Dots are missing in front of the Queen’s face. Writing is upside down when Queen’s face is facing upwards. Huge flaw in minting process.”