The NEW Rarest UK 50p splashes onto our Scarcity Index!
Have you just found a coin in your change and are wondering how scarce it is? Well, Change Checker has you covered with our Scarcity Index!
Our Scarcity Index uses data from the Change Checker Swap Centre, combined with a coin’s mintage figure, to determine just how scarce and sought-after your coins are. The information is presented in the easy-to-use indexes below, with arrows to signify how many places up or down a coin has moved since the last Scarcity Index update.
Excitingly, this time we have not one, but TWO new additions to the 50p index as we’ve had the official mintage figures for the coins that entered circulation in 2023!
50p Scarcity Index
Get ready for the 50p Scarcity Index to get a shake up, as we see two new coins enter the rankings!
Now, you might be thinking – don’t we have a new rarest UK 50p with the 2023 Salmon 50p? Shouldn’t it knock the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p off the top spot?
Well, despite entering circulation just over a year ago, we only recently found out that the mintage figure for the 2023 Salmon 50p was lower than the Kew Gardens 50p, with just 200,000 in circulation! This news means that only a few people will have been lucky enough to find a Salmon 50p in their change, and those who have one aren’t going to be willing to part with it any time soon!
As it’s such a new addition to the Scarcity Index, the Salmon 50p currently ranks 5th from last place, but watch this space – as I’m sure it’ll make its way up the ranks in months to come!
Another new coin on the Index is the Coronation 50p, which entered circulation in August 2023, and we now know it has a circulating mintage of 5 million. Whilst this doesn’t make it particularly rare, it’s entered the Index at a respectable position, and we expect it to climb as more people find one in their change.
Other notable movers on the 50p Index are the Gymnastics 50p which has climbed 20 places, the 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p which has shot up 23 places and the Representation of the People 50p and the Tom Kitten 50p which have both gone up by 16 places.
If you’re new to collecting and want to find out more about circulation coins, you can check out our fact files here >>
Otherwise, keep reading to find out which 10ps and £2 coins you should be looking out for.
10p Scarcity Index
We’ve seen quite a bit of movement in the 10p index, with all but 3 coins moving positions.
The big movers are G for Greenwich Meantime 10p which has climbed 16 places, the A for Angel of the North 10p which has gone up 13 places and the V for Villages 10p which has fallen 16 places. The X for X Marks the Spot 10p remains in last place at the bottom of the index.
Collectors will agree that the A-Z 10ps are some of the hardest commemorative coins to come across in circulation – that’s not surprising when you consider a maximum of JUST 304,000 of each A-Z 10p design entered circulation across 2018 and 2019 and it’s thought that a large percentage of these 10ps have been snapped up by collectors.
*Note
It’s worth remembering that our Scarcity Index only ranks the 10ps against each other, so even the ones at the bottom of the list are still incredibly sought-after.
£2 Scarcity Index
The recent mintage figure announcement also confirmed that no new £2 coins entered circulation in 2023, meaning we haven’t had a new commemorative £2 enter circulation since 2016! Due to this, we generally see less movement on the £2 index, however there are a few coins which have made surprising moves.
As usual, the 2002 Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games £2 remains at the top of the index as the most sought after £2 in circulation. It has a mintage figure of just 458,000, making it extremely difficult for collectors to come across in their change.
A few other coins have stayed put, including the King James Bible £2, Robert Burns £2 and the Technology £2 which remains right at the bottom of the index. The most notable movements are the Shakespeare Comedies £2 climbing 15 places and the Trinity House £2 falling by 8 places.
A lot of the other coins have shuffled around by just 1 or 2 places, so it’s worth keeping an eye on our Scarcity Index to see exactly where your coins rank.
How your Scarcity Index works
In the past, collectors have relied on mintage figures alone to identify the scarcest coins. But they only tell part of the story.
That’s why we’ve combined the mintage information with two other key pieces of information:
- How many of each design are listed as “collected” by Change Checkers on our Web App, indicating the relative ease of finding a particular coin
- The number of times a design has been requested as a swap on our Swap Centre over the previous 3 months, showing the current level of collector demand.
Importantly, as new coins are released and popularity rises and falls across different designs, the Scarcity Index will be updated quarterly. This allows Change Checkers to track the relative performance of the UK’s circulation coins.
How much are my coins worth?
The Scarcity Index doesn’t necessarily equate to value, but it is certainly a good indicator. You can use our 6 point guide to help you determine a more realistic value for your coins.
What about £1 Coins?
The £1 Scarcity Index has already been published for the Round £1 coins. Because they are no longer being issued, this is now set in stone.
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Hi I’ve just got a wrestling 50p is that rare?
Hi Paul, the Olympic Wrestling 50p has a mintage of 1,129,500 making it the second rarest Olympic 50p after the Football 50p. It also ranks as scarce on our Scarcity Index, so definitely one to hold on to!
Kate
Of course the 2023 salmon 50p (without privy) will be low mintage, it’s a brand new coin.
But these number are based on 2023 only.
The 2024 coins are available too including the salmon 50p without privy. But until they 2024 mintage numbers are out, the salmon 50p can have the crown.
Kew garden 50p will only ever have 210000, so will always be the winner in my eyes!
Hi Stephen, it might seem strange that the Salmon 50p ranks so low, but as you say, it’s such a new coin with such a low mintage that it’ll take time to make its way into collections and get swapped, then the fun really begins!
Kate
Been snapping up the salmon 50p on ebay for under £90, I think they should be about the £200 mark with kew gardens staying at the £150 which it is, you don’t mention the salmon 50p with the privy mark which people are saying it’s rare, I think you should say that it’s the salmon 50p Without the privy mark is the rare coin as some people are thinking they have the rare 50p
No thanks to the sun newspaper, it’s hype , the salmon 50p 2023 no privy , is not as rare as one thinks , the will trickle into circulation, over the coming months , as they replace worn out 50p in circulation , some people were lucky to find bags of them at post offices , and make a killing on eBay , try finding a decent Kew , they were in collections , long before coin collecting , took off big here, numista puts its value at about 12 pounds , and there pretty accurate on there figures , based on uk coin collecters demands , do not buy these at eBay hype prices, you will get your pockets burned as price drops , ps I paid £3 pounds for mine , back in January
Sounds like you got a good deal before the mintage figure was announced Brian! Hold on to that Salmon!
Kate
Is there a map of where the KC3 Atlantic 🗺️ Salmon 50p coin has been found🤔 Also the Bee🐝 £1 coin🤔
There are non to be found in the East Sussex area😞
Hi Barbara, we didn’t do a collector map for the Salmon 50p or Bee £1, so it’s difficult to tell where they’ve been popping up across the country.
Keep looking and keep your fingers crossed!
Kate
I’ve got a 50p coin with Peace, Prosperity and Friendship with all Nations 31 January 2020. It’s got Eluzabeth II 2020 on the other side. Is it worth anything please?
Many thanks
Janet
Hi Janet, it sounds like you’d found the Brexit 50p which was issued in 2020. There are actually several versions of the coin with different dates due to Brexit being postponed a few times. The version you have with the date 31st January 2020 is the correct version that entered circulation, 10,001,000 are out there to find. There was also a version with the date 31st October 2019 and a version with 29th March 2019 which weren’t meant to enter circulation but some people have reported finding them in their change. These versions are much rarer as they weren’t intended for circulation.
You can work out the potential value of your coin by using our 6 point guide: https://www.changechecker.org/2018/08/02/could-i-be-minted-the-6-point-guide-to-valuing-your-coin/
I hope that helps! Kate
The 10p Scarcity Index. Which year does this apply to?
Surely the same Letter cannot be as scarce for both years.
Hi Vincent, our Scarcity Index uses the combined mintage figure for both years the coin was issued.
I hope that helps, Kate