THE Royal Mint has revealed the rarest 50p coins in circulation.
One coin featuring a scene inspired by Kew Gardens could be worth as much as £707.
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More than 70 different designs have featured on 50 pence pieces over the years
In fact it’s nearly 50 years since the 50p was created along with the other coins we known and love today.
Decimalisation, when the country switched to pounds and pence from “old money” of shillings and pence, took place on February 15 1971.
The 50p is the most collectible coin thanks to its larger face compared to other coins, making it the ideal canvas for pictures.
New designs added recently include the characters Sherlock Holmes and Paddington Bear, along with landmarks like St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London.
The dangers of selling your coins on eBay
THE most valuable coins are usually those that have low mintage numbers or those with an error.
These are often deemed the most valuable by collectors.
Once you’ve found out whether the coin is real or not, you have a number of options – either selling it through a coin dealer, at auction or on eBay.
Sell it at auction
If you’ve got a coin that you would like to sell at auction then you can contact a member of the British Numismatic Trade Association.
They usually deal in very old coins but they may be able to help you assess whether it’s worth selling your coin at auction or whether it would be valuable to a collector.
Sell it on eBay
If you want to sell the coin you’ve found in your spare change on eBay then you need to know the risks.
Remember to set a minimum price that is higher or at the very least equal to the face value of the coin.
Even if your coin “sells” on eBay for a high price there’s no guarantee that the buyer will cough up.
In its terms and conditions, the auction website states that bidders enter a “legally binding contract to purchase an item”, but there’s no way to enforce this rule in reality.
The most eBay can do is add a note to the buyer’s account about the unpaid item or remove their ability to bid and buy.
This is because in order to sign up to the website, users do not need to put in valid bank or PayPal details before making a bid.
If a bidder refuses to pay, then the only option for sellers is to give “second chance offers” to other bidders or relist the item.
For items of a high value, eBay recommends that sellers put a limit on their listing to approve bidders.
It means bidders must email you before placing a bid but NOT that they must pay out the cash if they win.
Mark Loveridge, the director of UK currency at the Royal Mint said: “The 50p was introduced as part of decimalisation and has grown to become Britain’s favourite coin.
“The innovate shape of the coin makes it perfect for commemorative designs, and over the years we’ve commemorated many iconic occasions, events and individuals on a 50p.”
Here are the top 10 rarest coins in circulation to keep an eye out for, according to the Royal Mint.
1. Kew Gardens 2009- £707
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This coin continues to be the rarest of 50ps with 210,00 of them minted.
They went into circulation in 2009 and have been in demand ever since.
We found this coin recently sold for £707 on eBay, though they may not always go for this amount.
According to Coinhunter, the Kew Gardens 50p sold for £156.25 on average, based on nearly 200 sales since the start of the year.
How much a coin is worth can depend on a number of factors, including its condition and simple how much someone is willing to pay for it at the time.
The coin was reissued in 2019 but there are more of these about so it’s not worth as much.
2. Olympic wrestling 2011 – £15.55
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There were nearly 1.13million of these coins made in 2011, celebrating the London 2012 Olympic Games.
We spotted this sell for £15.55 and is one of several Olympic themed 50p coins that are among the rarest.
3. Olympic Football 2011 – £28
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Another coin created to commemorate the Olympics of 2012 is among the rarest and this features an explanation of the offside rule.
There were just over one million put into circulation and we’ve seen the football coin go for £28.
4. Olympic Judo 2011 – £20
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A total of 29 different designs for the 50p coin were released, each one representing an Olympic sport.
There were also just over one million Judo coins minted tooand we’ve seen them go for £20 on eBay.
5. Olympic Triathlon 2011 – £26
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The triathlon 50p is also from the 2012 London Olympics collection.
Only 1,163,500 of these were released into circulation, with one recently being flogged on eBay for £26.
The design is made up of a swimmer, cyclist and a runner to represent the three activities that make up a triathlon.
6. Peter Rabbit 2018 – £6.15
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There have been several Beatrix Potter coins over the years, and this 2018 coin featuring Peter Rabbit is among the rarest.
There were 1.4million coins minted and it goes for as much as £6.15 according to Coinhunter.
7. Flopsy Bunny 2018 – £3.25
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Released at the same time as Peter Rabbit and in the same number is the Flopsy Bunny design.
It’s another one that’s rare and goes for more than its face value, selling for £3.25 on average, Coinhunter says.
8. Olympic Tennis 2011 – £10.49
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The rest of the top 10 rarest coins is completed by more 2012 Olympic coins.
There were just shy of 1.5million of these minted for Tennis and we’ve seen it sell recently for £10.49.
9. Olympic Goalball 2011 – £10
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Another Olympic sport appears one of the rarest coins, though one of the lesser known ones, perhaps.
The coin features goalball and there were around 1.45million of these minted- they can now sell for around £10.
10. Olympic shooting 2011 – £17.75
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Finally, Olympic shooting rounds off the top 10 rarest coins according to Royal Mint.
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There were nearly 1.6million of these coins minted and we’ve seen it sell for £17.75.
Many coins can be worth much more when sold on eBay as part of a collection.
Although sometimes you’ll get better individual prices if another collector needs your coin to complete their collection.
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