Isobel Lawrance
seventh Oct 2024
Studying Time: 7 minutes
Cash are an enormous collectors’ merchandise, with the Royal Mint typically producing restricted version cash for folks to purchase and hold. The rarer the coin, the upper the worth is more likely to be. 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That obtained us pondering – may a few of our readers have a small fortune stashed away in an outdated bag or purse?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 in regards to the 50p coin? Effectively, 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 art work, with many items getting used to have fun historic moments over time.
50p cash are generally used to commemorate essential occasions. These embrace 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 helpful?
As talked about, the rarer the coin, the upper the worth is more likely 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 massively engaging to collectors and is usually 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 may also make a coin extra fascinating to consumers.
In fact, the design on the coin contributes tremendously to how wanted a coin is.
Curiously, the worth additionally will depend on who you ask. In case you get a valuation from a coin seller and promote by way of them, chances are you’ll get a extra strong, fastened payment to your coin. Nonetheless, promoting at an public sale home or on a web based market comparable to eBay may cut back the bounds on the quantity folks can pay for a specific coin. Thus, you could possibly get more cash, 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 energetic circulation, following the newest mintage figures revealed 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 publish places of work on the finish of final yr. A complete of 210,000 2009 Kew Gardens cash have 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 embrace 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 have 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 probabilities of getting your arms on one in all these is slim. That is as a result of low mintage as a result of 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 special date.
That is the 50p piece that usually sparks the curiosity of novice coin collectors. Up 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 one more coin designed with a purpose to have fun the distinguished 2012 Olympic Video games. Simply 1,125,500 of those cash have been minted. That is the primary of many Olympic Video games 50 pence items to grace this record.
Not solely have 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 well-liked sport normally, standing the take a look at of time. Due to this, a coin collector, who can be a eager soccer fan, could also be much more desperate to get their arms on this piece.
This coin was initially accessible to buy from the Royal Mint in July 2010 for £2.99. In keeping with 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 worth enhance of 770%!
Wrestling (2011)
The Olympic Wrestling 50p was made to commemorate the London 2012 Olympic video games. This typically attracts lots of curiosity from collectors because of its rarity and subsequent worth. Though that is simply one of many 29 designs minted for the video games, it is without doubt one of the rarest in circulation.
Created over a decade in the past, this coin has had loads of time to filter by way of numerous arms and wallets by way of the years. Simply 1,129,500 have been put into circulation, with many spenders not realising this significance and value of this coin. To place this quantity in context, there are roughly 200 million common 50p cash in circulation, making this design extremely helpful.
This coin beforehand offered for £52.88 on-line, which means your 50p may very well be value over 100 occasions 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 basic circulation. These cash are promoting from £11 on common, a price enhance of two,100% within the 11 years since they have been first minted. You probably have one in all these cash in packaging with a canopy, you could possibly get £37. A pleasant little bit of pocket cash!
Triathlon (2011)
In whole, 1,163,500 of those cash have been made in 2011. The triathlon is a well-liked a part of the Olympic video games. A coin appears the proper option 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 helpful 50p cash
There are different 50p cash which may fetch you some money. Chances are you’ll not even realise you may have them mendacity round! Listed here are 5 extra helpful and uncommon 50p items, together with the yr they have 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 value something?
It isn’t simply outdated cash which catch the attention of collectors. New cash can gather a pleasant sum of money too. Actually, just some years in the past in 2019, the Royal Mint re-released a few of the rarest 50p cash. 5 of the preferred cash have been launched to have fun half a decade of the 50p coin, all surrounding British Tradition.
These new cash have 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. Certainly one of these re-releases was the Kew Gardens piece, as mentioned earlier. The opposite 4 re-releases within the set embrace 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 chunk.
How one can worth your coin
Do you may have a couple of cash mendacity round which you assume may very well be value a little bit one thing? In case you are 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 for those who may get greater than face worth for the piece?
There are a couple of methods wherein you will discover out the worth of your coin. Firstly, in fact, you could possibly take a look at on-line marketplaces comparable to eBay. Looking the complete title of the coin and filtering the outcomes to indicate ‘offered’ objects will provide you with an thought of how a lot they’ve offered for beforehand. Equally, you could possibly refine your search to indicate the outcomes from highest to lowest, so you possibly can see the upper finish of the worth you could possibly pocket.
There are additionally helpful on-line instruments which will help you estimate the worth of your 50p. Coin Hunter is a superb web site which supplies you estimations to your coin. That is primarily based on the typical of the newest gross sales. It additionally offers 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 reveals you simply how uncommon a coin may very well be. The Shortage Index offers you an thought of the place your coin ranks.
In case you consider your coin is value an honest sum of cash, you could possibly all the time go to an unbiased coin seller. A pawn store may additionally give a tough estimate. Chances are you’ll even want to promote any very uncommon cash at public sale.
