MILLIONS of new 50p coins will be released into circulation to mark Britain’s departure from the European Union.
Chancellor Sajid Javid has asked officials if the coins can be made en masse in time for the October 31 deadline, the Sunday Telegraph reports.
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Mr Javid is drawing on plans first outlined by his predecessor Philip Hammond who asked for 10,000 limited edition coins to be minted.
The coins planned for October will still feature the same design on the back, with the inscription: “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations”.
The 50ps will have the new deadline date on them, replacing “March 29 2019” with Halloween this year.
Earlier this year, a batch of prototypes were embarrassingly minted in mid-March with the wrong deadline date on them – even though MPs had already voted to delay Brexit.
Is your small change worth a fortune?
IF you think that you might have a rare coin then you might be able to make a real mint.
The most valuable coins are usually those with a low mintage or an error.
These are often deemed the most valuable by collectors.
You should check how much the coin is selling for on eBay.
Search the full name of the coin, select the “sold” listing and then toggle the search to “highest value”.
It will give you an idea of the amount of money that the coin is going for.
You can either choose to sell the coin on eBay or through a specialist like ChangeChecker.org.
If you choose the auction website then 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.
It 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 their account for the unpaid item or remove their ability to bid and buy.
The move is supposed to show the government’s commitment to quitting the EU by November.
But the plans will have to be signed off by the Queen’s Privy Council of ministers before they can be minted and they’re not due to meet again until October, which could put a stop to the idea.
The Royal Mint often marks national occasions with a commemorative coin.
A new 50p coin was released when the UK joined the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973 and when the UK held the EU presidency in 1998.
Perhaps the most popular coins were ones in the set of 29 50ps launched to mark celebrate London hosting the 2012 Olympics.
These coins can sell for hundreds of pounds to a collector, which means that the Brexit coins could also be worth a mint.
The 50p coin released to mark 250 years of Kew Gardens is currently the most sought after and sells for up to £155 on eBay.
Recently, we reported how one of the Olympic coins accidentally minted by mistake sold for a huge £590 online.
Other coins sought after by collectors include the Beatrix Potter 50p coins, with the original 2016 Peter Rabbit coin once selling for up to £840 on the auction website.
We’ve put together a guide to the most valuable 50p coins so you can get an idea of how much your change is worth.
Coins minted with errors on them can also be valuable too.
The Royal Mail has repeatedly refused to issue a commemorative Brexit stamp, insisting the event is still too politically controversial.
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