Isobel Lawrance
ninth Oct 2024
Studying Time: 7 minutes
Cash are an enormous collectors’ merchandise, with the Royal Mint usually producing restricted version cash for folks to purchase and maintain. The rarer the coin, the upper the worth is prone to be. Just lately, the Royal Mint revealed the highest ten rarest 50 pence items in circulation.
That obtained us pondering – may a few of our readers have a small fortune stashed away in an outdated bag or purse? For the reason that transfer to ‘new cash’ over 51 years in the past, there have been a whopping 70 variations of the 50p coin. There have additionally been loads of uncommon and distinctive designs, with collectors determined to get their arms on them.
What’s so particular concerning the 50p coin? Nicely, it has change into essentially the most values and picked up coin within the UK. As a result of it’s the largest British coin in circulation, it has essentially the most area for particular designs and paintings, with many items getting used to have fun historic moments through the years.
50p cash are generally used to commemorate necessary occasions. These embody designs for occasions such because the 50th anniversary of the D-Day landings, the 50th anniversary of the Nationwide Well being Service and the 2012 Olympic Video games.
What makes a coin invaluable?
As talked about, the rarer the coin, the upper the worth is prone to be. That is the case with many collectibles. The mintage is the variety of cash made in every design. The decrease the mintage, the upper the worth. A low mintage is vastly enticing to collectors and is commonly the best promoting level.
As with collectibles comparable to watches, gem stones and even purses, the situation is prime when eager to promote a coin. Misprints or errors in design also can make a coin extra fascinating to consumers.
In fact, the design on the coin contributes enormously to how wanted a coin is.
Curiously, the worth additionally depends upon who you ask. For those who get a valuation from a coin supplier and promote by way of them, you might get a extra sturdy, mounted payment in your coin. Nonetheless, promoting at an public sale home or on a web based market comparable to eBay may cut back the boundaries on the quantity folks pays for a specific coin. Thus, you possibly can get extra money, as many coin collectors will bid extremely throughout auctions.
The rarest 50p cash within the UK
The Atlantic Salmon (2023)
As of 7th October 2024: His Majesty King Charles III’s 50p coin has been formally topped because the rarest 50p in lively circulation, following the newest mintage figures printed by The Royal Mint.
The coin depicting the Atlantic Salmon has knocked the extremely collectable 2009 Kew Gardens 50p off the highest spot for the primary time, with simply 200,000 launched to UK banks and submit places of work on the finish of final yr. A complete of 210,000 2009 Kew Gardens cash had been launched into circulation 15 years in the past.
Because the nation’s most collectable coin, the 50p has seen over 100 completely different designs seem on its reverse (tails) since its introduction. These embody particular designs for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Video games and milestone Royal events comparable to His Majesty King Charles III coronation.
Kew Gardens (2009)
The Kew Gardens 50p was initially launched in 2009, and is essentially the most sought-after 50 pence piece. Simply 210,000 had been put into circulation, with most of them falling into personal arms. Kew Gardens is essentially the most well-known royal botanical backyard within the nation, with the design that includes the well-known Chinese language Pagoda at Kew.
The possibilities of getting your arms on one in every of these is slim. That is because of the low mintage because of the lack of demand for the 50p denomination within the UK at time of its launch.
One other model of the Kew Gardens 50p was launched in 2019 to have fun 50 years of the 50 pence piece. Launched 10 years after the unique design, the 2019 bears a barely completely different effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and naturally, a distinct date.
That is the 50p piece that always sparks the curiosity of novice coin collectors. Prior to now, this coin has offered for as a lot as £895 on eBay beforehand. There are at present listings on eBay comparable to this ‘2009 Royal Mint Kew Gardens 50p Coin Presentation Pack’ for £375.
Soccer (2011)
The Olympic Soccer coin was yet one more coin designed so as to have fun the celebrated 2012 Olympic Video games. Simply 1,125,500 of those cash had been minted. That is the primary of many Olympic Video games 50 pence items to grace this record.
Not solely had been the 2012 London video games an enormous occasion, with the nation coming collectively for the historic event to have fun sport. However soccer itself is a particularly fashionable sport generally, standing the take a look at of time. Due to this, a coin collector, who can also be a eager soccer fan, could also be much more desirous to get their arms on this piece.
This coin was initially obtainable to buy from the Royal Mint in July 2010 for £2.99. Based on Coin Hunter, over 12 years later, a circulated model of this coin may at present get you £13. A model new, uncirculated coin within the unique packaging may earn you a pleasant £26. That is nothing to be sniffed at – it is a value enhance of 770%!
Wrestling (2011)
The Olympic Wrestling 50p was made to commemorate the London 2012 Olympic video games. This usually attracts loads of curiosity from collectors attributable to its rarity and subsequent worth. Though that is simply one of many 29 designs minted for the video games, it is among the rarest in circulation.
Created over a decade in the past, this coin has had loads of time to filter by way of varied arms and wallets by way of the years. Simply 1,129,500 had been put into circulation, with many spenders not realising this significance and price of this coin. To place this quantity in context, there are roughly 200 million common 50p cash in circulation, making this design extremely invaluable.
This coin beforehand offered for £52.88 on-line, that means your 50p could possibly be price over 100 instances greater than the face worth.
Judo (2011)
Judo could also be a sport involving holding down your opponent, however these 50p items aren’t really easy to get your arms on. The coin was designed by a David Cornell, who received a contest which noticed his design printed on simply over a million 50p cash.
There have been 1,161,500 of those cash put into common circulation. These cash are promoting from £11 on common, a worth enhance of two,100% within the 11 years since they had been first minted. You probably have one in every of these cash in packaging with a canopy, you possibly can get £37. A pleasant little bit of pocket cash!
Triathlon (2011)
In whole, 1,163,500 of those cash had been made in 2011. The triathlon is a well-liked a part of the Olympic video games. A coin appears the right strategy to have fun the game.
Bids on on-line market on eBay have reached £34 beforehand. Nonetheless, Coin Hunter suggests uncirculated Triathlon 50p items of their unique packaging may fetch roughly £79.
Different invaluable 50p cash
There are different 50p cash which may fetch you some money. It’s possible you’ll not even realise you have got them mendacity round! Listed here are 5 extra invaluable and uncommon 50p items, together with the yr they had been minted and their mintage – the variety of them in circulation.
- Peter Rabbit (2018) – 1,400,000
- Flopsy Bunny (2018) – 1,400,000
- Tennis (2011) – 1,454,000
- Goalball (2011) – 1,615,000
- Capturing (2011) – 1,656,500
Are new cash price something?
It isn’t simply outdated cash which catch the attention of collectors. New cash can gather a pleasant sum of money too. In actual fact, only a few years in the past in 2019, the Royal Mint re-released a number of the rarest 50p cash. 5 of the most well-liked cash had been launched to have fun half a decade of the 50p coin, all surrounding British Tradition.
These new cash had been made with outdated designs. Nonetheless a few of them featured a barely completely different effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth than the unique releases. One in every of these re-releases was the Kew Gardens piece, as mentioned earlier. The opposite 4 re-releases within the set embody 100 years of Lady Guiding, 100 years of Scouting for boys, the primary sub-four-minute mile and a newly minted model of the outdated ‘New Pence’, that includes Britannia.
In 2021, a brand new 50p piece got here out to have fun the achievements of Workforce GB. Purchased new, they ranged from £11 to £102.50, relying on whether or not they got here in a set, their color and the rarity of them. The gold proof model was extraordinarily uncommon, with solely 250 minted, offered by the Royal Mint for £1,095 a bit.
The way to worth your coin
Do you have got a couple of cash mendacity round which you assume could possibly be price slightly one thing? If you’re fortunate sufficient to have picked up a uncommon coin or have had one in a penny pot for a couple of years, why not see if you happen to may get greater than face worth for the piece?
There are a couple of methods through which you could find out the worth of your coin. Firstly, in fact, you possibly can try on-line marketplaces comparable to eBay. Looking out the complete title of the coin and filtering the outcomes to indicate ‘offered’ gadgets offers you an concept of how a lot they’ve offered for beforehand. Equally, you possibly can refine your search to indicate the outcomes from highest to lowest, so you’ll be able to see the upper finish of the worth you possibly can pocket.
There are additionally helpful on-line instruments which may also help you estimate the worth of your 50p. Coin Hunter is a superb website which provides you estimations in your coin. That is primarily based on the typical of the newest gross sales. It additionally provides you an estimate of the completely different costs circulated and uncirculated variations can promote for. Plus, how a lot the worth has elevated because it was first minted.
Some web sites, comparable to Change Checker have a scale which exhibits you simply how uncommon a coin could possibly be. The Shortage Index provides you an concept of the place your coin ranks.
For those who imagine your coin is price a good sum of cash, you possibly can at all times go to an unbiased coin supplier. A pawn store may additionally give a tough estimate. It’s possible you’ll even want to promote any very uncommon cash at public sale.
