PCGS Grades Rare 2022 British Mule Coin

(Santa Ana, California) – PCGS recently graded a scarce 2022 British silver coin with an unintended pairing of obverse and reverse designs, resulting in a rare and sought-after type of error known as a mule. This drastic error coin arose when an obverse die from a British £2 coin was incorrectly mated with the reverse of a £5 coin. Both the coins produced by these dies carry the same date and are of identical sizes.

The obverse of both the 2022 British £2 and £5 silver coins sports a portrait of King Charles III, meanwhile the reverse of the former shows a bust of an older Queen Elizabeth II while the latter carries a vignette design showing the monarch in both her younger and more mature years. The £2 obverse die, which differs between both coins only by way of a minor difference in the legend describing the coin’s denomination, was used in striking a very small number of coins with the £5 reverse.

“After the death of Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, the Royal Mint struck a variety of commemorative coins honoring the fallen monarch,” explained PCGS President Stephanie Sabin. “Among these coins were two silver pieces denominated as £2 and £5, both of which were of identical diameter and carry similar-looking obverse designs. We don’t know how many of these mule errors were produced with the £2 obverse and £5 reverse. However, this is only the second known example.”

This most recent discovery arrived at Rocky Mountain Coin in Denver, Colorado, and it was upon the suggestion of company president and manager Klaus J. Degler that the coin be submitted to PCGS for certification. “The coin was from the British Mint, and they discovered that [the error] didn’t have the same obverse as the [normal £5] had” said Degler. “They came to me, and I said we need to get that certified, as it’s a mule.”

PCGS graded the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Mule Young and Mature Busts "£2" (£5) PR70DCAM. “We were thrilled when Klaus and his company Rocky Mountain Coin entrusted encapsulation of this very rare modern mule with PCGS,” Sabin said. “It just goes to show that the best – and even the most unusual – coins always end up in PCGS holders.”

For more information about submitting errors and other coins to PCGS, please visit https://www.pcgs.com/services.

About PCGS

PCGS is a third-party coin and banknote grading company that was launched in 1986. Over 35 years, PCGS has examined and certified more than 54.3 million U.S. and world coins, medals, and tokens with a combined value of over $53.3 billion. For more information about PCGS products and services, including how to submit your coins for authentication and grading, please visit www.PCGS.com or call PCGS Customer Service at (800) 447-8848.