Your guide to rare 20p coins

The 20p piece was introduced into general circulation in 1982. Unlike the more recent £2, 50p and 10p coins, the 20p has not featured any commemorative designs. In fact, there have been just a few changes to the 20p design over the years, as follows:

• 1982 obverse features portrait of the Queen by Arnold Machin
• 1982 reverse features a 'Heraldic English rose and royal crown' design by William Gardner
• 1985 obverse features portrait of the Queen by Raphael Maklouf
• 1992 obverse features a slightly larger portrait of the Queen by Raphael Maklouf
• 1998 obverse features a portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley
• 2008 reverse design by Matthew Dent, showing part of a Royal Coat of Arms design
• 2015 obverse features a portrait of the Queen by Jody Clark

These changes to the design have led to a few varieties, some of which are rare.

Suggested Article: Your guide to the 1977 Silver Jubilee coin

What makes a 20p coin rare?

Rare 20p coins can be identified by the slight increase in the size of the Queen's portrait, in 1992, meant that both the small and large varieties were issued that year.

Coin collectors should be aware that It is thought that the rare 20p coins of the larger head variety are now the more scarce version despite more copies originally being issued, this is because the rare 20p coins have been in circulation for almost three decades and so examples in good condition are difficult to find. Copies of the smaller head coin were included in year sets, so nicer copies are slightly more common amongst coin collections.

How can I Identify a Rare 20p Coin?

Look closely and you'll be able to tell the difference between the two portraits. Another tell-tale sign is that the larger portrait has a slightly sharper point where the Queen's neck ends. 

The large head 20p coins are worth between £2 and £10 depending on condition.

With a complete redesign of the UK's 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p and 50p coins in 2008, there are two different versions of that year's coin, one with the old 'Tudor Rose' design and one with the 'Royal Coat of Arms' design.

This means the 2008 'Tudor Rose' variety is much more rare, as the mintage figures below show. However, there were still 11 million copies put into circulation, so it's not worth hundreds, more like £2-£3.

The design change in 2008 also led to the most well known 20p rarity. Have you been lucky enough to add one to your coin collection?

What is The dateless 20p coin?

In June 2009 a 20p coin was discovered with no date on either side. This was a production error meaning that the wrong combination of obverse and reverse designs had been used. It's important for coin collectors to know that this type of coin error is know as a 'Mule'.

The problem occurred thanks to the redesign of UK coins in 2008. Matthew Dent's design shows a Royal Coat of Arms across the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p and 50p coins, almost like a jigsaw puzzle (coin collectors can look at their coins and put the shield together!) To accommodate the new design, the date was moved to the obverse.

Somewhere in the production process, a batch of the coins were produced using the old obverse design and the new reverse design, which resulted in the dateless 20p coin.

What is The Value of a Rare 20p Coin?

A reported 50,000 to 200,000 examples of the rare dateless 20p entered circulation before the error was noticed, and The Royal Mint confirmed that the coins could still be used as legal tender. Still, coin collectors would have kept the coins in their coin collection, for themselves rather than spending it.

Examples of the dateless 20p initially fetched thousands of pounds on sites such as eBay as the national press got hold of the story, with one example selling for a reported (and unconfirmed) £7,100. The dateless 20p coin is now worth around £50 to £100. Making it a great collectible 20p. 

Some unscrupulous individuals tried to sell normal versions of the 20p, by taking photos of both old and new coins, whilst others even attempted to file the date off. Thankfully for coin collectors the hype has subsided, though there are said to be forgeries out there too that coin collectors should be aware of.

How can I Keep My Coin Collection Safe?

Coin collectors can keep their coin collection safe in coin binders known as a coin collection book, these are perfect for keeping your collection secure and accessible. 

Mintage figures for the 20p coin:

• 1982: 740,815,000
• 1983: 158,463,000
• 1984: 65,350,965
• 1985: 74,273,699
• 1987: 137,450,000
• 1988: 38,038,344
• 1989: 132,013,890
• 1990: 88,097,500
• 1991: 35,901,250
• 1992: 31,205,000
• 1993: 123,123,750
• 1994: 67,131,250
• 1995: 102,005,000
• 1996: 83,163,75
• 1997: 89,518,750
• 1998: 76,965,000
• 1999: 73,478,750
• 2000: 136,428,750
• 2001: 148,122,500
• 2002: 93,360,000
• 2003: 153,383,750
• 2004: 120,212,500
• 2005: 124,488,750
• 2006: 114,800,000
• 2007: 117,075,000
• 2008: 11,900,000 (old design)
• 2008: 115,022,000 (new design)
• 2009: 121,625,300
• 2010: 112,875,500
• 2011: 191,625,000
• 2012: 69,650,030
• 2013: 66,325,000
• 2014: 173,775,000
• 2015: 63,175,000 (fourth portrait) 
• 2015: 131,250,000 (fifth portrait)
• 2016: 212,625,000
• 2017: 0
• 2018: 0
• 2019: 125,125,000

Further reading

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