IPSWICH: Find a penny, pick it up and all day long you’ll have good luck.

And for Town resident George Finch, his fortunes were definitely on the up when he came across two sparkling 50 pence pieces released as part of the Royal Mint’s new 2011 collection.

Mr Finch was startled to discover the seven-sided coin shining brightly among his handful of change recently.

But he was even more surprised when he spotted that the sparkling coin was dated 2011.

“I instantly spotted it because it was so shiny,” he said. “It stands out.

“I was quite surprised when I saw it because I still haven’t even seen one from 2010. I guess that it is quite unusual.”

However, on Tuesday his luck was in once again as he discovered yet another brand new 50p coin.

Mr Finch, 74, of Glencoe Road, Ipswich, said: “To get two of them in the space of two weeks is quite something. They are both different – one has a shuttlecock and the other has a swimmer on it.”

The father of two added: “I thought that it must have been a mistake made by the Royal Mint because I couldn’t believe that they would be released so early.

“I don’t know whether they would be worth anything – but it is nice to keep them.”

A spokesman for the Royal Mint said the coins had been released earlier than usual.

“They are part of 29 Olympic and Paralympic inspired coins designed by members of the public and officially launched in October 2010 to commemorate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“The coins have been released slightly earlier than usual to encourage people to look for them and talk about them in the run up to the greatest sporting event hosted on UK soil in a generation.”

n Have you found one of the new 50p coins? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk