Friday 3 July 2009

Minted! Lucky 20p Owners Could get £50!

Do you have any 20p coins like the above in your possession?

Thousands of Brits with a new 20p in their pockets could find themselves £50 richer after a mix-up at the Royal Mint.

Around 200,000 of the coins have rocketed in value after the manufacturer admitted it had forgotten to put a date on them. Read the full article here.

I will be looking at any new 20p coins I get with keen interest from now on!

Vocabulary Note
If someone is "minted" it means they are very rich.

The meaning of the word "mint"

–noun
1. a place where coins, paper currency, special medals, etc., are produced under government authority.
2. a place where something is produced or manufactured
3. a vast amount, esp. of money: He made a mint in oil wells.
–adjective
4. Philately. (of a stamp) being in its original, unused condition.
5. unused or appearing to be newly made and never used: a book in mint condition.
–verb (used with object)
6. to make (coins, money, etc.) by stamping metal.
7. to turn (metal) into coins: to mint gold into sovereigns.
8. to make or fabricate; invent: to mint words.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME mynt, OE mynet coin < class="ital-inline">monēta coin, mint, after the temple of Juno Monēta, where Roman money was coined

2 comments:

popps said...

When i was about 13 there were , probably still are, these books that listed all the versions of pennies, tanners, bobs,half crowns etc that were worth something as collector pieces - because they had certain initials minted onto the coin, or they were limited productions etc.
I trawled through my pockets, my piggy bank, my parents pockets, my sister's piggy bank, i raided the neighbours etc etc.
Nothing.
The money in my pocket was always worth what it said in my pocket.
The same thing happened with stamps - as soon as i turned up at the collectors shop it was "No sorry, the condition isn't good enough"
I couldn't sell any.
Anyhow - why do we have all these nick names for pre-decimal British currency and not post?

Janet Bianchini said...

I wish I knew the answer! I have a 1950s threepence coin hidden away in a box somewhere. I'll hold on to it for nostalgia's sake.