Royal Mint's rarest and most valuable 50p coins in circulation revealed, including Kew Gardens worth up to £1,000
CASH may seem like a thing of the past these days, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep an eye on your change.
The Royal Mint, the official maker of British coins, often releases limited edition coins and these can sell for several times their face value.
Some extremely rare 50p pieces have sold for almost £950, as much as 1,800 times their face value.
So it's worth checking as the change in your wallet could be worth a fortune.
Please note that this is one of the highest amounts a coin like this has sold for and there are several factors that can affect the sale price.
The design of the coin, its condition, and whether or not the coin is in circulation also affects its value.
You can easily find out how rare a coin is by checking the mintage figures.
RARE COINS AND VALUABLE NOTES
This refers to the number of coins The Royal Mint has produced.
If a coin has a low mintage, it means that there is less in circulation and is therefore rarer and possibly worth more than its face value.
Either way, you'll want to keep an eye out for some that can sell for big numbers.
Triathlon – worth €15
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Released in 2011, the Triathlon 50p depicts the same sport that was featured in the 2012 Olympics.
There are more than 1,160,000 of these coins in circulation.
With over 200 million 50ps in circulation in Great Britain, this coin is quite a rare find.
The highest recent sale we've ever found on eBay is £30 in the past.
But the highest price we could find in recent weeks was slightly lower last month: £15
Judo – worth up to £20
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Judo is a popular sport where you wrestle with your opponent.
But despite the design, it is not that easy to obtain this coin, of which there are only 1,161,500 in circulation.
The piece was designed by David Cornell after he won a national competition.
It was minted in 2011 and the highest bid we've seen on eBay was £20.88 in January 2024.
Wrestling – worth £12
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Wrestling was one of the first Olympic sports, so it's not surprising to see it featured on one of the 50p pieces.
The 2011 coin was designed by Roderick Enriquez, a graphic designer from Hammersmith, London.
We've seen it sell for as much as £15 online, so it's worth looking for.
One sold on eBay in recent months for £12.
Football – worth up to £31
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Of all the coins created to commemorate the 2012 Olympic Games, the 50p Football is one of the rarest.
It contains an explanation of the controversial offside rule, of which 1,125,000 were produced.
One copy sold on eBay for £31 in January this month, although in the past it has been known to fetch as much as £75.
Kew Gardens – worth up to £950
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The Kew Gardens 50p is the rarest of all 50p pieces, with only 210,000 copies in circulation.
They are known to have previously sold for as much as £895 on eBay.
The design was created by Christopher Le Brun RA and depicts the famous Chinese pagoda with a green room that revolves around the tower.
The coin often piques the interest of new coin collectors due to its rarity.
The highest sale we've found in recent weeks was £950 in January.
How much are other 50p coins worth?
Many coins can be worth much more if sold on eBay as part of a collection.
However, sometimes you can get better individual prices if another enthusiast needs your coin to complete their collection.
The rare Blue Peter Olympic 50p has sold on eBay in the past for £205.
The coin depicts an athlete doing the high jump and was drawn by nine-year-old Florence Jackson after winning a competition on the children's television show.
In addition, one seller managed to pocket a whopping £63,000 by also cashing in the 50p from his Battle of Hasting.
So-called 'error coins' are also often valuable, because there are rarely more than a few thousand in circulation.
One 50p accidentally struck twice sold for as much as £510 on eBay because it was rare.
It's not just 50p either: a rare 10p error coin that has historically sold for more than 1,000 times its face value on eBay.
Similarly, there are several rare £2 coins in circulation that could be worth just under £50.
Newer versions can also be worth a coin
You might think that old coins yield the most, but new ones can also fetch large sums.
In 2019, the Royal Mint reissued sets of five of the rarest and most popular 50ps to celebrate the coin's half-decade.
The new coins are made with old designs including Kew Gardens, Girl Guides and Scouts, but are stamped with the 2019 date, which could make them super valuable among collectors.
The £90 collector's proof sets sold out in February 2019, but you can still get uncirculated sets for £45 direct from the Royal Mint.
This year has seen an influx of special edition Harry Potter coins, as well as coins featuring the heads of former monarchs.
Meanwhile, the first £2 commemorative coins featuring King Charles III were released earlier this year.
How do I find out what my coin is worth?
If you are lucky enough to pick up a rare coin in your spare change, it could cost hundreds of dollars depending on how rare it is.
You should check how much the coin is selling for on eBay.
Find the full name of the coin, select the “sold” listing, then switch the search to “highest value.”
It gives you an idea of the amount of money the coin goes for.
But remember that a buyer can always back out, so the coin may not have gone for the price he says it has.
And also beware of counterfeits.
You can also use an online tool that will give you an estimate of how much the coin could be worth on eBay, as well as other rare coins you have.
Coin Hunter gives you an estimated value of your coin based on the average of the most recent sales, as well as a range of how much you can expect to get from it.
Additionally, Change Checker's Scarcity Index gives you a good idea of how rare a coin is.
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