Rare 50p coin with tiny lines obscuring the swimmer's face sells for £3,766 on eBay

History buffs fought over the rare coin, with the highest bidder parting with £3,766.

A rare 50p coin has sold for over £118 on eBay - and others are going for FOUR FIGURE sums.

The Lines Over Face error impacted just 600 of the 50ps released in 2011 ahead of the London Olympics.

The swimmer's face is distorted by the water lines with 600 pieces thought to be affected by the gaffe, which happened over a decade ago.

But coin experts believe the true number of coins affected by the blunder is likely to be far less.

The coin, which was up for auction on the site, is part of a set of 29 coins released to mark the Games.

The coin features swimmer Michael Phelps on the tail side with the Queen's face as normal on the other.

But due to the blunder at the Royal Mint, Phelps' face is distorted by the water lines.

The coin is made from a bi-metallic cupronickel and is designed by David Cornell.

History buffs fought over the rare coin, with the highest bidder parting with £3,766.

There were 74 bids on the item, which was in mint condition and placed in a glass box.

A coin expert, known as 'Christopher Collects' on YouTube, said: "The Aquatics 50p with the lines over the face is about as rare as UK 50p coins get.

"It blows even the Kew Gardens 50p out of the water. It would be the centerpiece of any 50p coin collection within what is already a really popular set of Olympic coins."

Kimberly Day, a coin expert from RWB, who held the auction, said: "Only a few hundred examples with this rare design variation are believed to have been released.

"We're delighted that this coin has raised such a sum, it's a fair price for such a rare coin and we believe it's value will only increase over time."

The Royal Mint reissued another batch of the Kew Gardens coins in 2019 to celebrate 50 years of the 50p.

Sadly, this coin will not give you a three-figure payout but it could sell for between £70 and £80 on eBay if you found the right buyer.

The Kew Gardens 50p coin was released in 2009 to mark 250 years since Kew Gardens opened in 1759.

The 50p coin features the Chinese Pagoda at the Royal Botanic Garden on the tail side with the Queen's face as normal on the other.

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