A rare Irish 20p coin dated 1985, originally issued to calibrate vending machines and phone boxes, could be worth up to €15,000. Only about 50 of the 500 minted were never returned to the Central Bank, making it exceptionally scarce. The coin features an Irish Hunter horse on the reverse and the Celtic harp on the obverse.
A rare Irish coin could be worth up to €15,000 – and it's crucial to check your change to see if it's hiding away in your possession now with only a handful of them out in circulationNow if you're an avid coin collector – or just lucky – there's a specific piece which could be hiding in your change which is worth a lot of cash.
This Irish 20p found its way into the public's hands for a very specific reason, and finding one of these can set you back an eye-watering €15,000, so do you have this special piece? Posting on TikTok, the Irish Silver Stack told his 12,600 followers "no scrolling" in case they miss this coin.
He said: "In the 80s, the government announced they will make a new coin which is either going to be a 20p or a 25p. In 1986 they released the first 20p. Before the release date old vending machines had to be recalibrated to accept the new coin.
"So in 1985, one year before the release of these, the Central Bank released 500 of these so companies can recalibrate the machines and the phone boxes to accept the new coins. "The coin expert revealed these were dated 1985, and those 500 coins were supposed to be returned once the machines had been recalibrated.
However, that never came to pass. He explained: "It is estimated around 50 of them did not make it back to the Central Bank so if you have one of these, take a look at the obverse and if you see that 1985, well you could be €15,000 richer.
" Just 500 of the rare 1985 20p coins were distributed to businesses to test phones and vending machines ahead of its official launch a year later. What makes it exceptionally scarce is that only approximately 50 were never returned, giving it an auction value of between €6,000 and €15,000. The historic coin features an Irish Hunter horse on the reverse side and the traditional Celtic harp on the front.
Designed by Percy Metcalfe, it was in circulation from 1986 until Ireland adopted the Euro in 2002. Despite being produced solely as part of a trial run, a small number have ended up in the hands of ordinary members of the public. They were intended exclusively for vending machine and payphone operators to recalibrate their equipment prior to the coin's official release.
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