ONE rare detail to spot on a 50p coin reveals whether it’s worth up to £250.
Rare coins can be found in your spare change and are sometimes worth a small fortune.
Generally, a piece will be considered rare if a low amount was struck and put into circulation or if it was pressed incorrectly.
One coin currently meets both these criteria, with an ultra-rare squiggle imprinted on one side.
The collector’s item is now so sought after it received 75 bids on an online auction.
It was sold for almost 500 times its face value, fetching a whopping £245.
The coin features lines across a swimmers’ face which makes it incredibly rare and sought after, with bidders willing to pay over the odds for one.
The “Lines Over Face” Aquatics 50p was first struck in 2011 and then tweaked to make the face more visible.
Designed by Jonathan Ollife, the coin has been described as “extra special” by the Royal Mint.
It’s worth bearing in mind, if you stumble across a Lines Over Face Aquatics 50p, you might not get as much as £250 for it.
How to spot a rare coin
A coin is usually classed as rare if a limited amount were struck, or a manufacturing error occurred when they were being made.
A low mintage figure, which is set by The Royal Mint, relates to how many of a coin were made.
Generally, the lower that figure, the more buyers are willing to pay for it, although this isn’t always the case.
You can find out what coins are rare and how they look on The Royal Mint’s website.
The Change Checker website has scarcity indices too – these tell you how many of a particular coin were minted.
When it comes to error coins, how much you’ll get for them varies from piece to piece.
Most rare and valuable 50p coins
WE reveal the Royal Mint’s most rare and valuable 50p coins in circulation.
Triathlon
Minted in 2011, the Triathlon 50p depicts the same sport which featured in the 2012 Olympics.
There are more than 1,160,000 of the coins in circulation.
With over 200million 50ps circulating in the UK, that makes this coin quite a rare find.
The highest recent sale we’ve found on eBay recently was £30 on June 21.
Judo
Judo is a popular sport that involves grappling with your opponent.
But despite the design, it’s not so easy to get a hold of this coin, of which there are just 1,161,500 in circulation.
The piece was designed by David Cornell after he won a national competition.
It was minted in 2011 and the highest bid we’ve seen on eBay was for £17.95 on June 21.
Wrestling
Wrestling was one of the first Olympic sports so it’s not surprising that it features on one of the 50p pieces.
The 2011 coin was designed by Roderick Enriquez, a graphic designer from Hammersmith, London.
We’ve seen it sell for as much as £15 online so is worth digging around for.
In recent months, one was sold on eBay for £11.95 on June 18.
Football
Of all the coins created to commemorate the 2012 Olympic Games, the 50p Football is among the rarest.
It features an explanation of the controversial offside rule on it, with 1,125,000 produced.
One sold for £20 on eBay on June 11, although it has been known to go for as much as £75 in the past.
Kew Gardens
The Kew Gardens 50p is the rarest of all the 50p pieces, with only 210,000 in circulation.
They have been known to sell for as much as £895 on eBay before.
The design was created by Christopher Le Brun RA and features the famous Chinese Pagoda with a leafy chamber that twists around the tower.
The coin often sparks the interest of new coin collectors due to its rarity.
The highest sale we found in recent weeks was £142 on June 22 with 23 bids.
For example, the HG Wells £2 error coin has been known to sell for up to £1,000 in the past.
Bronze 20p coins have been known to sell for up to £750 as well while error £1 coins have been known to go for £1,000s.
How to sell a rare coin
You can sell a rare coin on eBay, Facebook, or in an auction
If you’re selling on Facebook, there are risks attached.
Sellers have previously been targeted by scammers on Facebook pretending to need a courier to pick a coin up and asking for payment, but it’s a ruse and the courier is never sent.
To avoid this happening, it’s always best to meet a Facebook seller in-person when buying or selling anything.
Ensure it’s a public meeting spot that’s in a well-lit area and if you can, avoid using payment links.
Most sellers prefer to deal with cash directly when meeting to ensure it’s legitimate.
The safest way to sell a rare coin is more than likely at auction. You can organise this with The Royal Mint‘s Collectors Service.
It has a team of experts who can help you authenticate and value your coin.
You can get in touch via email and a member of the valuation team will get back to you.
You will be charged for the service though – the cost varies depending on the size of your collection.
You can also sell rare coins on eBay.
What are the most rare and valuable coins?
- Five rarest coins – do you have one?
- The 13 most valuable £2 coins in circulation
- How valuable are the rarest £1 coins?
- Most rare and valuable 50p coins in circulation
- Rare and most valuable 20p coins that could be worth up to £750
- Rarest 10p coins in circulation
- Rare 2p coins revealed
- How to check if you have a rare and valuable banknote
