THE Royal Mint has released a new coin to mark half a century of the 50p – and it could be worth more than £40.
The new coin will feature Chris Ironside’s original design of the goddess Britannia, sitting down with a shield to the left and lion on the right.
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The latest reincarnation has an added 2019 date stamp and a small circular symbol called a “privvy mark” on the bottom right of the tails side design.
This small geometric shape is a nod to the science behind the coin’s seven-sided design, which was first put forward by Hugh Conway, a member of the Decimal Currency Board, in 1969.
The shape of the coin is called an “equilateral curve heptagon” meaning that even though it has seven edges, it can still roll, and as a result be used in things such as vending machines.
It’s a commemorative coin though so you won’t be able to spend it in shops even though it’s legal tender.
Most valuable 50p coins
THESE are the most valuable 50p coins currently in circulation that have recently sold for the most on eBay:
Kew Gardens, up to £160
This rare commemorative coin was created in 2009 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of London’s Kew Gardens. Only 210,000 of these coins were issued and a quick check online shows up that a circulated coin with this design sold for £160 on eBay.
Olympics athletics Blue Peter winner, up to £112
The coin was released in 2011 as part of a series of 50ps celebrating the London 2012 Olympics. Florence Jackson’s drawing of a high-jumper made it on to the back of the coins after winning a competition hosted by kids’ TV show, Blue Peter. Now they sell for up to £112 on eBay.
Olympics aquatic error coin, up to £62
Ahead of the coin’s release in 2011, the Royal Mint redesigned the aquatics 50p to show less water crossing the swimmer making their face more visible. But an unknown small number of coins were accidentally struck with the original design and entered into circulation. One recently sold for £62 after getting five bids.
UK Presidency of the EEC, up to £59
The Royal Mint released a new 50p when the UK joined the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973 and when the UK held the EU presidency in 1998. One recently sold for £59 after getting 20 bids.
Olympic football offside rule, up to £33
Fifteen bidders battled it out to get their hands on the Olympic football coin on eBay. Released as part of the Olympic collection, the tails side attempts to explain the off-side rule. Eventually, it sold for £33.
There are no plans for it to enter circulation either so it’s highly unlikely to ever turn up in your change – although it’s not impossible.
You can buy specially packaged coins directly from the Royal Mint website from £10.
The cupro-nickel version only costs a tenner and there will be an unlimited number of them being sold.
And it seems they’re already popular – the coins went on sale last week and are already being sold on eBay for up to £41 following bidding wars.
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But of course, the coin is only worth what someone will pay for it and so there’s no guarantee that you’ll make a profit.
It could be worth much less, like the 1983 version of the Britannia coin that recently sold for just 56p.
There are also 3,500 silver versions available to buy for £55 and 1,969 silver proof piedfort ones that cost £95.
Only 300 gold proof coins are up for sale but they’ll set you back £980 each.
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The Britannia image first appeared on the tails side of the world’s first seven-sided coin released in 1969, replacing the 10 shilling note.
It survived many redesigns that saw the coin shrink to the smaller size of 27.5mm wide that you find in your pocket today, down from 30mm.
In 2008, Britannia was taken off the 50p to be replaced by a rolling series of commemorative designs to mark significant events.
It’s these designs that have become popular among collectors, sometimes even pushing up the value of the coin to hundreds of times its worth.
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For example, the coin released to commemorate 150 years of Kew Gardens in 2009 is considered to be one of the rarest in circulation.
These have been known to sell for up to £160 on eBay – a figure that this latest commemorative coin could end up being worth too.
Meanwhile, an athletics 50p coin from the Olympics series recently sold for £112 online too.
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Other rare 50p coins include the Olympics aquatic error coin, the UK Presidency of the EEC coin, and the Olympic football offside rule.
These could be worth up to £62 – see the box out above for more on this.
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Yesterday, we reported how five new coins are being released to celebrate the nation’s most loved pantomimes – but only in Guernsey.
A rare Falkland Islands 50p coins featuring a penguin recently sold for £114 on eBay thanks to a subtle blunder.
Think your change is worth a mint? Here, we’ve put together a round up of the rarest and most valuable error coins.
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