50p coin commemorating Battle of Hastings listed on eBay for £2m

Seller puts a staggering £2m price tag on coin commemorating the Battle of Hastings, but it's not as rare as claimed

The coin is described as 'rare' despite well over 6 million coins available

An eBay seller is looking to raise a staggering £2m from the sale of a commemorative 50p coin.

Going by the name of ‘jasonlparish’, the seller describes the 50p coin commemorating the Battle of Hastings as “rare” and “beautifully crafted”. Generously, he says that shipping is included in the hefty price tag.

The coin was issued in 2016 and is carved with an image of King Harold from the Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidered cloth that famously depicts the Battle of Hastings fought in 1066.

Over 260 people were watching the item on eBay on Monday afternoon. But it may actually not be as rare as claimed.

Coin verification website Change Checker estimates that 6.7 million ‘Battle of Hastings’ coins are currently in circulation.

One of the most valuable 50p coins to look out for is a 2009-issued coin commemorating the 250th anniversary of Kew Gardens. With just 210,000 made, the Royal Mint has confirmed that this is one of the rarest in circulation.

The Royal Mint also released a 2016 Jemima Puddle-Duck coin to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Beatrix Potter’s birth. One of the coins has previously been listed as sold for £499 on eBay, although there are over 2 million in circulation, so this may have been a one-off.

Those in search of the most valuable coins should look to the special collectors’ editions released by the Royal Mint which are made in small numbers and don’t go into circulation, according to coin expert Richard Beale, of collectibles auctioneers Warwick & Warwick.

“There’s all kinds of jiggery pokery going on out there and anyone can put anything on ebay for whatever price they want”, Mr Beale told the Independent in November.

“It doesn’t mean they’re going to get it.”