2-euro coin is said to be worth 200,000 euros: what's behind the price
Created: 07/18/2022, 04:49 am
By: Vincent Bussow
Cash coins are offered for hundreds of thousands of euros on eBay classifieds.
(Archive image) © picture alliance/dpa/Symbolbild
Euro coins can be found on Ebay for exorbitant prices.
A 2-euro coin is said to be worth up to 200,000 euros.
Experts pay attention.
Kassel – The popularity of coins has had to take a beating in recent years.
The German tradition of digging out the last cent from your wallet at the supermarket checkout is slowly but surely being replaced by card and mobile phone payments.
And although the EU Commission has been considering the abolition of at least the smallest coins for years, it is worth taking a closer look at the euro in coin form – it can be worth a lot more than it says on the surface.
In particular, 2 euro coins are offered for exorbitant prices on the Internet.
Such a coin from Luxembourg made headlines in 2018 when it was for sale on Ebay classifieds for almost 190,000 euros.
The central bank of the country of origin rated the price as "extremely high" at the time, as reported by the news portal L'Essentiel.
Nevertheless, a current look at the sales platform shows that similar amounts are still being charged for 2 euro coins today.
What's behind it?
Ebay classifieds: 2 euro coin offered for 150,000 euros
A user demands almost 150,000 euros on Ebay for his 2-euro piece.
Other offers amount to 100,000, 60,000 and 15,000 euros.
The reason for the huge prices?
misprints.
In the mostly sparsely designed advertisements, coins are offered in which the inner and outer parts have been misaligned, the wrong materials have been used or additional letters have been embossed.
However, if you are now looking for faulty coins in your wallet in order to grab the next 100,000 euros, you will unfortunately be disappointed.
Euro | |
|---|---|
symbol | € |
Area | European Economic and Monetary Union |
launch date | January 1, 2002 |
issuer | European Central Bank |
Euro coins offered on Ebay classifieds for "fantasy prizes".
The chairman of the professional association of the German coin trade, Michael Becker, describes the eBay offers as "ludicrous fantasy prices".
It happens time and again that consumers confront him with such online offers and insult him when, as an expert, he assesses the value differently.
The sworn expert on German coins Guy Franquinet also says that fraudsters are often at work with such advertisements.
On the actual market, mis-stamped euro coins are commonly sold for 400 euros.
The NRW consumer advice center recommends obtaining various offers from specialist dealers before selling special coins.
It is not only in the coin trade that swindlers are on the Internet.
However, there are tricks to protect yourself from fraudsters on Ebay.
(vbu/dpa)