1834 William IV sixpence from Greater Manchester car boot sale is a rare minting error

A study published in the journal Nature says an 1834 sixpence bought at a Greater Manchester car boot sale is a rare example of a minting error.

Coins

The Vintiqi team · 21 October 2026

Sixpence from 1834 found at a car boot sale

An 1834 William IV sixpence bought at a car boot sale in Greater Manchester is a rare minting error, according to a study published in the journal Nature.

The story was reported under the headline "Extremely rare coin found at Greater Manchester car boot sale" (external source).

The study said the coin was bought for £8 at a car boot sale in Greater Manchester. It was undertaken by the researcher A. Ikraam, who set out to establish whether the coin's unusual deformation was part of how it was made or damage inflicted later.

What the analysis of the coin found

The study described the coin as "severely deformed". An analysis of its metallic composition found that the strange pattern was the result of "a severe mint-stage striking anomaly", meaning the damage was caused when the coin itself was made.

This makes the sixpence a rare example of a failure in early British mechanical coin production, the report said. Coins with such severe deformities would usually have been "pre-emptively removed from circulation", which is why this one is a rare specimen.

After the study, researchers at Oxford and Brunel University of London independently verified the results, according to the report.

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A small tin of coins in a drawer is easy to overlook. Look through it slowly, and set aside any coin that looks unusual in shape, weight or design.

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