Brits should be on the look our for loose change with any being urged to check their pockets, purses, wallets – and behind the sofa – in case they are quite literally sitting on a fortune. The Royal Mint has revealed its top ten rarest 50 pence coins currently in circulation.
You may have heard of coins such as the famous Kew Gardens 50p as well as Peter Rabbit and the Olympic collection. But a list has revealed exactly the design of coin you need to be looking out for.
Between 2009 and 2023, the Kew Gardens 50p held its place as the rarest 50p coin in circulation. Designed by Christopher Le Brun, it, of course, celebrates the famous royal botanical garden with the iconic Chinese pagoda taking centre stage.
But this has now changed. And if you have an fish on any of your coins – it could be good news.
This is because the coin experts have revealed “In 2023, the Atlantic salmon became the rarest 50p coin in circulation. Part of eight new definitive designs representing flora and fauna from across all four UK nations following His Majesty King Charles III’s accession to the throne, it entered circulation at the end of November 2023.
“Although wild populations of the Atlantic salmon are affected by factors such as river pollution, habitat loss, overfishing, and river heating due to lack of tree cover and climate change, this wild fish can be found in very clean rivers in Scotland and Wales, as well as in North and South West England.”.
So what are the top 10 and how can I sell them if I have any? Here is everything you need to know.
Below we have listed the top 10 rarest coins, according to The Royal Mint. Listed is also their mintage and what year they were released.
Glasgow Live previously spoke to Change Checker, who help find, identify, collect and swap circulating coins for free. Rachel Hooper, Product Group Manager for Change Checker, said that when it comes to valuing your coins, you have to bare in mind that “it is very subjective and it’s dependant on a number of factors”.
She explains: “You have a number of ways you can look out for rare coins and ways to spot why your coin would be worth a certain amount. We would always advise that if you had a coin in your collection you were trying to sell and another collector has been trying to track that down for a really long time, of course that collector would potentially be willing to pay above the odds to get hold of it to complete their collection.
“If another collector did have that coin already or didn’t hold it to such value, you would perhaps struggle to get as much or that coin.”
However, before you think about selling, it is advised that you first get it verified with Rachel explaining: “If you do think you’ve come across a rare coin, you probably want to get that verified by the Royal Mint because you’re always likely to be able to get a better price for your coin if you have that certificate of authenticity that would explain what the error is.”
She added that “it would be a real collectors piece if you could say I found this coin, the Royal Mint have verified it therefore it’s genuine. After that, you can look at selling it from there.”
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