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2008 Shield Twenty Pence Undated Mule Error Circulated Coin

2008 Undated 20p Rare Error Mule Obverse

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Buy a Undated 20p (Mule Error)

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£100.00

The holy grail of change collecting: the rare undated 20p. An interesting error occurred at The Royal Mint in November 2008: a small number of Twenty Pence pieces were struck without the year. These British coins were the first in more than 300 years to enter circulation without a date. The Mint reports that of the 136 million Twenty Pence pieces minted that month, only about 250,000 coins were minted with this unique error. The issue occurred because a mismatched pair of dies was used in the minting process. Coin experts call errors like this 'mules,' and modern examples are very collectable because they are rare given today's rigorous quality control procedures. These coins have previously been in circulation and have been individually authenticated by our specialists.

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Undated 2008 Twenty Pence

A standard feature of UK coins is a date that tells us roughly when the coin was produced. In fact, it's been centuries since a British coin was issued without a date, until a 'mule' error 20p coin changed that in 2008.

What Are Mule Coins?

So-called mule coins take their name from the offspring of a horse and a donkey. These coins are produced when a mismatched pair of dies is used during production. Mule coins were common in the past but rare today.

How Did The Error 20p Occur?

Before 2008, 20ps featured the date on the tails side along with a Tudor rose design. The new shield design introduced in 2008 had the date on the head's side, so when the old die was used, a coin was struck with no date at all.

How Many Undated 20ps Are There?

The Royal Mint has confirmed that of the 136 million 20ps put into circulation in 2008, fewer than 250,000 were potentially undated, though, since the error is quite subtle, it's likely that many are still to be found in change.

Are Undated 20p Coins Collectable?

Undated Twenty Pence coins remain highly collectable as a notably rare UK error coin, comparable in rarity to the famous 2009 Kew Gardens 50p (210,000 minted) and the 2023 Atlantic Salmon 50p (200,000 minted).