THE Kew Gardens 50p is still the most valuable coin in circulation in 2019, worth up to £186 – more than 350 times its face value.
We’ve analysed Change Checker’s scarcity index to find out the most sought after 10p, 50p and £2 coins of the year and then found out how much they’re worth on eBay.
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Even though a handful of new coins were released into circulation – including a tribute to Stephen Hawking and the new Peter Rabbit 50p – the Kew Gardens design remains the top collector’s item.
And it’s no wonder really, considering only 210,000 of the coins were launched – far below the typical mintage of one million for other 50p coins.
It’s worth noting though that the Royal Mint hasn’t released the mintage figures for all of 2019’s new coins yet, which could make them more valuable in the future if they’re low.
Of course, it’s not just 50p coins that are highly sought after.
Certain 10p coins could be worth more than 30 times their original value, while some £2 coins could fetch you almost £45 on eBay.
£1 coins aren’t as sought after because the 12-sided pound hasn’t changed in design since its launch in 2017.
So it’s time to check your change because these are the 15 most valuable coins of 2019.
1. Kew Gardens 50p – £186
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This coin was released in 2009 to mark 250 years since Kew Gardens opened in 1759.
Until a 50p coin is launched with a lower mintage, we can’t see this one becoming less valuable any time soon.
One of the coins – which was in a good condition despite being circulated – made £186 on eBay.
2. 2002 Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2 – £44.43
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The 2002 Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2 coin tops the scarcity index list for £2 coins, ahead of its three other counterparts designed for England, Wales and Scotland.
Its design celebrates the games held in Manchester, which was the largest multi-sport event to be held in the UK ahead of the 2012 Olympics.
The coin bares the flag of Northern Ireland and in total, 485,500 such coins entered circulation.
One recently sold on eBay for £44.43 after receiving nine bids.
3. 2002 Commonwealth Games England £2 – £26.51
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The £2 Commonwealth coin bearing the flag of Saint George also now sells for an inflated price.
If one of these turns up in your change, you’re looking at making almost 14 times its face value.
4. 2002 Commonwealth Games Wales £2 – £19.10
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The Welsh version of the Commonwealth coin is the fifth rarest £2 coin but the third most valuable in the set.
You can expect to fetch almost £20 if you’re thinking of selling a circulated version online.
5. 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 – £16
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The fourth most valuable £2 in circulation is the Scottish version of the Commonwealth coin – you can spot it by the image of the Saint Andrew’s Cross to the left of the flag bearer.
Up to 771,750 of these coins were issued and they now they sell for more than eight times their value online.
6. 2012 Olympics Football 50p – £16
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Back in 2012, the Royal Mint marked the 2012 London Olympics by releasing 29 different designs for 50p coins, each one representing a different Olympic sport – and now they could be worth a small fortune.
Only 1,125,500 football 50p coins were released, for example, compared to 3,345,500 of the archery design.
Its rarity makes it more valuable than the others and you can expect to sell it for around £16 online.
7. 2012 Olympics Triathlon 50p – £11.50
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Only 1,163,500 of these triathlon coins were released into circulation and according to the latest scarcity index it’s very rare.
The design is made up of a swimmer, cyclist and a runner to represent the three activities that make up a triathlon.
One recently sold for £11.50 on eBay after attracting 15 bids.
8. 2012 Olympics Wrestling 50p – £10.60
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If you’ve got one of these wrestling coins in your pocket then it could be worth up to £5.90.
Around 1.12million of them were released into circulation and it’s the third most scarce Olympic coin.
The Wrestling 50p was designed by graphic designer Roderick Enriquez.
A circulated version of the coin recently sold on eBay for £10.60.
9. 2012 Olympics Judo 50p – £10.50
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There were 1,161,500 of these judo coins issued to celebrate the event at the 2012 Olympics.
The image shows one person throwing their opponent to the floor – and the coin will still make you a small profit if sold to the right seller.
10. London 2012 handover £2 – Up to £8.25
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At the end of the 2012 Olympics, the Royal Mint launched a £2 coin to celebrate the handing over of the torch to Rio – the city that would be hosting the next games in 2016.
Fewer than a million were issued – just 845,000 – but they’re not considered to be the scarcest coin out there.
One sold for £8.25 back in October, after attracting bids from 12 buyers.
11. Angel of the North 10p – Up to £3.15
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Ten pence coins hardly ever got a makeover until 2018 when the Royal Mint released 26 new designs celebrating the best of British, with a different design for each letter in the alphabet.
The rarest of the coins is the Angel of the North, which sells for more than 30 times its face value.
12. Bond 007 10p – Up to £3.70
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The letter B in the alphabet series represents Ian Fleming’s novels about British spy, James Bond.
These coins sell for more than face value online – one sold for up to £3.70 on eBay – but you won’t make a small fortune.
13. Yeoman Warder 10p – Up to £3.45
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The Royal Mint is yet to release details of how many of these 10p coins have been released into circulation, which could affect how valuable it is.
Even so, you can expect to make around 34 times its original value.
14. English Breakfast 10p – Up to £3.40
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The English Breakfast coin features an image of bacon and eggs and was voted as one of the nation’s favourite designs in the series.
If you’re looking to sell yours online, you’re looking at making a profit of around £3.30.
15. Zebra Crossing 10p – £3.20
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These Zebra Crossing 10p coins are listed on eBay for around £50 but we’re yet to see one actually sell for that much.
Even so, it’s still considered to be one of the most sought after coins in 2019 and sells for more than 30 times its original worth.
