The Royal Mint has unveiled its list of the 10 rarest 50p coins, some valued at thousands, making them highly sought after by collectors.
London: Did you know there might be some rare coins hiding in your wallet? The Royal Mint just dropped a list of the top 10 rarest 50p coins still out there. These coins are often collector’s items with cool designs, and they’re not as old as you might think.
The 50p coin has been around since 1969, and the original ones can be super valuable, sometimes selling for hundreds of thousands of pounds! But most of the valuable ones are newer, with the oldest on the list dating back to 2009. Their worth comes from how few were made.
The rarest coin right now is actually from 2023! It’s the Atlantic Salmon, minted after King Charles III became king. Only 200,000 of these were made, which is why it’s so valuable.
According to the Britannia Coin Company, the Atlantic Salmon coin can sell for about £150, which is 300 times its face value. That makes it the most valuable 50p coin in circulation, beating out the Kew Gardens coin that held the title since 2009.
The Kew Gardens coin features the famous Chinese Pagoda and was super popular among collectors, selling for up to £700 during its reign.
Then there’s the Peter Rabbit collection, which includes designs of the beloved bunny munching on radishes and Flopsy Bunny crossing her paws. Each of these coins had 1.4 million minted, but one of the Peter Rabbit coins was listed for a whopping £26,000 on eBay!
The list also includes coins minted for the 2011 Olympics, like the Football, Wrestling, Judo, Triathlon, Tennis, and Goalball designs. The Olympic Football coin is pretty rare, with just over a million made, and it even has a diagram explaining the offside rule!
Each of these Olympic coins has its own unique design, and while they might not be as valuable as the top coins, they still fetch a decent price. For example, the Judo coin has sold for around £15 in the past.
So, if you’ve got some 50p coins lying around, it might be worth checking to see if you’ve got a hidden treasure!
