Donated 2p coin auctioned for £800 by Reading hospital Published duration 19 July 2015

image copyright Royal Berkshire Hospital image caption All 2p coins struck between 1971 and 1981 have the words 'NEW PENCE' rather than 'TWO PENCE' on their reverse

A two pence donation left in a collection box at a hospital in Reading has fetched more than £800 in an online auction.

The 1971 coin, which is silver in colour rather than bronze, was found in a donation box used for unwanted foreign currency.

Donations made to the box are used to purchase equipment and fund research at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

The 2p, which was auctioned on eBay, was bought by a collector for £802.03.

Last year, a silver 2p coin found in a new packet of coins minted in 1988, which was found by the owner of a petrol station in Poole, sold at Charterhouse auction house in Sherborne, Dorset, for £1,200.

Silver-coloured coins can be mistakenly struck if a cupro-nickel blank is left inside a barrel during the minting process.