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20 Pence - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Undated mule (2008)
"Undated 20p"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2008 |
| Denomination | 20 Pence |
| Face value | 20p |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Composition | Copper-nickel |
| Weight | 5.000g |
| Diameter | 21.4mm |
| Thickness | 1.70mm |
| Shape | Equilateral curve heptagon (7-sided) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | Matthew Dent |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Fourth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, legend around
ELIZABETH II D G REG F D
Lower right section of the Royal Shield, denomination to right segment of rim
TWENTY PENCE
Undated mule 20p market value
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AffiliateUndated mule 20p price history
Daily limit reachedUndated mule 20p value by grade
Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC | £50.00 🔒 | £50.47 (2) | – | £50.00 – £50.93 | 2 | 2 | 05-09-2026 | |
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| EF | £65.00 🔒 | £65.00 (1) | – | £65.00 – £65.00 | 0 | 1 | 01-09-2024 | |
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| VF | £34.04 🔒 eBay | £42.30 | ▼3.2% | £21.50 – £103.08 | 91 | 92 | 14-10-2026 | |
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| AU-58 | £73.50 🔒 eBay | £73.50 (1) | – | £73.50 – £73.50 | 1 | 1 | 15-07-2026 | |
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| G-4 | £44.00 🔒 | £43.00 (2) | – | £42.00 – £44.00 | 1 | 2 | 07-03-2026 | |
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| MS-64 | £55.00 🔒 | £55.00 (1) | – | £55.00 – £55.00 | 0 | 1 | 01-06-2024 | |
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| MS-65 | £280.00 🔒 | £280.00 (1) | – | £280.00 – £280.00 | 0 | 1 | 30-09-2025 | |
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| PR-65 | £62.00 🔒 eBay | £62.00 (1) | – | £62.00 – £62.00 | 1 | 1 | 14-06-2026 | |
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About the 2008 20 Pence - Elizabeth II – Undated mule
The 2008 20 Pence - Elizabeth II – Undated mule is a circulating 20 pence coin, struck in copper-nickel. It weighs 5g and measures 21.4mm across. Reverse design: Lower right section of the Royal Shield, denomination to right segment of rim.
Common questions
How much is the 2008 20 Pence - Elizabeth II – Undated mule worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2008 20 Pence - Elizabeth II – Undated mule run from £42.30 to £280 across 8 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many undated 20p coins are there?
The Royal Mint says the problem affected fewer than 250,000 coins, out of 136 million 20p pieces minted in 2008-09. That is an upper limit, not an exact count. Press reports in 2009 quoted estimates of 50,000 to 200,000, and the Mint has not published a precise figure.
How do I know if my 20p is the undated error?
The reverse must be the Royal Shield design by Matthew Dent, showing a section of the shield with TWENTY PENCE on the rim, and there must be no date on either side. A 20p with the older William Gardner reverse has its date on that side and is not the error.
Why does the undated 20p have no date?
Before 2008 the 20p carried its date on the reverse. The 2008 redesign filled the reverse, so the date moved to the obverse. In November 2008 an old obverse die without a date was used with the new reverse, leaving some coins with no date at all.
Is the undated 20p legal tender?
Yes. The Royal Mint has stated that these coins remain legal tender and still have a face value of 20p. They were released into normal circulation with the rest of the new 20p coins, which is how they came to be found in change.
Can you still find an undated 20p in change?
It is possible, because the coins went into general circulation and remain legal tender. The Royal Mint puts the number at under 250,000 among 136 million 20p coins minted in 2008-09, so the chance of meeting one is small.
How do I identify the 2008 20 Pence - Elizabeth II – Undated mule?
Check the weight 5g and diameter 21.4mm and the metal (copper-nickel) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The undated 20p is a mule, a coin struck from two dies that were never meant to be used together. In 2008 Matthew Dent redesigned the reverses of the coins from 1p to £1 so that together they form the Royal Shield. Until then the 20p had carried its date on the reverse. The new design left no room for it there, so the Royal Mint made a new obverse die with the date beside the Queen's portrait.
The Royal Mint says that in November 2008 a number of 20p coins were struck with the previous obverse, which had no date, paired with the new reverse. The result was a coin with no year on either side. The coins were released into circulation with the rest of the new 20p pieces before the mistake came to light, and the story reached the press in 2009.
The Royal Mint's figure is that fewer than 250,000 coins were affected, out of 136 million 20p pieces minted in 2008-09. It has stated that the coins remain legal tender with a face value of 20p. Nobody knows the exact number. Press reports in 2009 gave a range of 50,000 to 200,000 without naming a source, and the dealer Sovereign Rarities has put its own estimate at 8,000 to 100,000.
The reverse is Matthew Dent's 2008 design: a section of the Royal Shield, with TWENTY PENCE incuse on the raised rim and his initials MD. The obverse is the fourth portrait of Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, with his initials IRB beneath the portrait and the inscription ELIZABETH II D G REG F D. On a correct coin with this reverse the date is also on the obverse. On the mule it is absent. The coin is cupro-nickel, seven-sided and has a plain edge.
Varieties and errors
Press reports at the time, repeated by Change Checker, called this the first undated British coin to enter circulation in more than 300 years.
Most coins offered as undated 20p pieces are not the mule. A 20p with the older reverse by William Gardner, used from 1982 to 2008, has the date on the reverse. Sovereign Rarities notes that the genuine pieces it has handled share small raised die flaws across the Queen's head, which fits a single ageing obverse die, though this is a dealer's observation.
Collecting notes
Start with the reverse. It must be the Royal Shield design, and there must be no date anywhere on the coin. Then look at the obverse under a magnifier for any sign that a date has been tooled away after the inscription.
These coins were issued for circulation, not sold in sets, so worn examples are normal. The coin from the correct die pairing is the 2008 Royal Shield 20p, for which the Royal Mint lists 115,022,000 dated 2008.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- The Undated 20p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Twenty Pence Coin: design and specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The story of the undated 20p, Change Checker (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Royal Mint mintage figures data file (mintages.json), The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Elizabeth II dateless Twenty Pence (CG03904), Sovereign Rarities (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The E-Sylum, volume 12, number 27: undated 20p press reports, Numismatic Bibliomania Society (read 9 Oct 2026)
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