A man collecting his change at a gas station was shocked to score a rare $2 coin worth nearly $6,000.
The 2020 Firefighter Coin with a ‘Firing Error’ is a highly sought-after collector’s item minted to commemorate those who fought the bushfires of the Black Summer of 2019.
The error arises when the flame that is supposed to be between the firefighters is printed on the face of Queen Elizabeth II on the other side of the coin.
The rare minting error has made the colorful coin extremely valuable. An uncirculated version of this collectible recently sold for $5,950.
Firefighter coins already in circulation are still worth several thousand dollars.
Coin expert Matthew Thompson said the $2 coins are considered extremely rare because no one knows how many were minted and are still in circulation.
“Nobody knows for sure why they are so popular and collectible, because the quantity available would be really small. But nobody knows of a definitive production run of them,” he said Yahoo Finance.
“If this guy got it from the servo, it looks like it’s been sitting in a cash register, it’s been tossed around a little bit, and all those things add to the value.”
The rare coin error occurs when the flame that should be between the firefighters ends up on the obverse of Queen Elizabeth II (the rare coin is pictured)
The $2 coin without the rare printing error is shown
The expert said he was aware of counterfeit versions of the Fireman coin where fraudsters had manually transferred the fireball paint to the other side.
He encouraged coin enthusiasts to seek professional advice when making purchases.
This comes after a rare 50 cent coin with spectacular colours featuring the mint’s coat of arms was valued at up to 400 times its face value.
The 2012 hypermetallic coin differs from other coins in that the kangaroo, emu, shield, wreath, star and number 50 are depicted in different colours.
The Royal Australian Mint produced only 58,554 of these coins. They were released as part of a set, increasing their value to over $200.
The collection consisted of six coins and sold for $32.50. Collectors could not purchase the coins individually at the time.
A rare 50 cent coin with spectacular colours highlighting the mint’s coat of arms was valued at as much as 400 times its face value (the 50 cent coin is pictured)