'Silver' 2 pence coin sells for 1,350 pounds

A rare "silver" two pence coin struck in error by the Royal Mint has sold for 1,350 pounds - 67,500 times its face value.
The coin was nearly thrown away as a fake after it was discovered in a Poppy Appeal tin last year.
But after Royal British Legion volunteers in Wiltshire took it to a bank, it was sent to the mint which confirmed it was made in error.
The coins are normally made of copper-plated steel, but this one was set in nickel-plated steel, used for 10 pence coins.
Charles Vernon, treasurer of the legion in Malmesbury, which has enjoyed the proceeds of the sale, said he and his wife spotted the "odd" coin when the collection was being counted.

"When we tried to put it in the 10p pile it didn't fit - it was an anomaly and stood out," he was quoted as saying by the BBC.

Vernon thought the 2 pence coin was a fake so took it to his local bank to be destroyed, but bank staff suggested it may be rare and worth a lot of money and had it sent to the mint.
X-ray fluorescence spectrometry was used to confirm an error in production "whereby a nickel-plated steel blank, which would normally be used in the production of 10p pieces appears to have been struck between 2p dies", the mint confirmed.

It will now be handed over to its new owner, The Westminster Collection, a company which specialises in collectable coins and stamps, the report said.