Lucky WorldChilean Mint in Spelling Blunder

Check the spelling on your peso!

Thousands of newly minted coins issued with incorrect spelling of CHILE

This irrevocable blunder has caused the dismissal of the general manager of the Chilean mint, Gregorio Iniguez. Thousands of the 50-peso coins - worth about 10 cents (6p) - were issued in 2008, but no-one noticed the mistake until late last year.

The BBC have reported that Instead of C-H-I-L-E, the coins had C-H-I-I-E stamped on them. But there is a flip side to this story as these most unusual coins have since become collectors' items and the mint says it has no plans to take them out of circulation. Some people in the Chilean capital of Santiago have even taken to hoarding these miss-spelt coins in the hope that one day they will become more valuable.

It is not the first embarrassing blunder at the Chilean mint, says the BBC correspondent, Gideon Long. Last October, someone there sold a rare medal, which should have been housed in the institution's museum, to a coin collector. A month later, another medal - this one bearing the face of the country's then President Michelle Bachelet - was inadvertently sold on the open market.

The latest blunder has caused a few smiles and has certainly proved the value of correct spelling.