The Royal Mint in Wales has confirmed the existence of a pair of £2, .999 fine silver mules, which the Mint says were mistakenly produced and sold in December 2013.

In Numismatics, the term "mule" describes a coin that's struck using two dies not designed to be paired together.

In this instance, the confirmed mules were produced by accidentally combining the following dies:

According to Mint Spokesperson Victoria Newman, "The mismatched dies were used on approximately 17,000 Britannia and 38,000 Lunar coins."

If correct, and at this time there is no reason to doubt the accuracy of the statement, this represents 12.6% of the total mintage of Year of the Horse coins. The Britannia, on the other hand, has an unlimited mintage and will be struck with the correct die pairing through the end of the year.

To read the complete article, see:A Pair of Royal Mint Mules Spurs Speculation(www.coinweek.com/featured-news/pair-royal-mint-mules-spurs-speculation/)