A decade after being struck, a wrong planchet error has been discovered for a 2007 British coin.

The £2 coin is supposed to be struck as a ringed-bimetallic coin, with an outer band of nickel-brass surrounding an inner disc of copper-nickel. Instead, a collector in the north of England found an example struck on a solid planchet.

The collector, identified only as Mr. C, had set the coin aside after finding it several years back, with the intention of looking the coin up “one day,” according to the firm of Chard in Blackpool, England, which announced the discovery.

Prompted by media coverage of various Royal Mint products and errors over the last few years, the finder checked his coins and “rediscovered” the error. 

The September 2017 cover feature explores “one-year wonders,” designs that lasted just a year or less, many of which are now coveted delicacies. Other topics include how to value unique collectibles, and an outline of the history of what "paper money" is printed on, from mulberry bark to plastics.

“His initial thoughts were that the coin could have been a forgery,” according to Lawrence Chard. “This would have been our first thought too. However on closer inspection, the size and weight were the same as other £2 coins but there was no sign of any join for a central inner disc.”

There is no sign of any piercing to allow for a center disc to be inserted. On a typical coin the inner disc is placed inside the outer band and when the coin is struck the pressure merges the two parts together securely.

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Deciding that it would be worth getting an expert opinion, Mr. C in September 2016 contacted the Royal Mint Museum to determine the origin of the error. 

Chris Barker, assistant curator, responded with a letter suggesting that the coin did appear to be struck in nickel-brass and that the coin would be submitted for further analysis.

On April 6, 2017, Barker wrote back verifying that the 2007 £2 coin was indeed a striking error. An unpierced nickel-brass blank had been struck between the two dies for the 2007 technology £2 coin. In an email, it was mentioned that Barker had only seen four to five similar coins but never a £2 coin of this kind during his time at the Royal Mint.

Over the last decade, a small number of error coins have been discovered.