It’s all change! Your Scarcity Index Update…

It’s time for your latest Scarcity Index update, where we reveal the UK’s most sought-after circulation coins of the last three months! As we continue to go out and spend more cash, we’ve seen some BIG movers and shakers on our Scarcity Index.

Our 50p index has been given a huge shakeup, with moves across the majority of the board! The same can be said for the £2 Index, with JUST four coins being untouched.

You can use the updated A-Z 10p, 50p and £2 indexes below to discover how sought-after the coins in your collection really are.

This information has been compiled using data from the Change Checker Swap Centre and 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.

50p Index

May 2022 50p Scarcity Index Update

It’s been a HUGE quarter for our 50p coins with this Scarcity Index update showing nearly all circulating UK 50p coins having moved around!

The Pentathlon 50p has climbed an incredible 12 places, pushing towards the top of our index. This coin has a circulating mintage of 1,689,500 which makes it one of the rarer 50ps in circulation.

Whilst it’s not the rarest Olympic 50p out there, all of these coins are incredibly popular with collectors, and have been since the 2012 Olympic Games!

Other key movers include the Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle 50p which has climbed by 12 places and the Handball 50p which has climbed by 8 places.

£2 Index

May 2022 £2 Scarcity Index

Another big shake up sees just FOUR coins on our £2 Index remain in the same place, with some huge movers causing a shuffle.

The Shakespeares Comedies £2 has been bumped down 12 places and the Gunpowder Plot £2 has climbed an impressive 9 places!

Other key movers to keep your eyes on are the Brunel – Paddington Station £2, which has climbed 9 places and the Florence Nightingale £2, which has climbed by 8.

A-Z 10p Index

May 2022 A-Z 10p Index

As the Change Checker team travelled up north on our Platinum Jubilee 50p coin swap tour, it seems the Lochness Monster 10p was following suit, as it climbs 13 places!

And as we approach the Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend, the Jubilee 10p has climbed up towards the top of the index. With growing interest in Jubilee themed coins, including the 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p, there’s no surprises more collectors are wanting to get their hands on this 10p!

Other key movers include the NHS, Angel of the North, and Bond 10p coins, which have all climbed up 4 places.

Regardless of where they feature in the above index, if you have any of the A-Z 10ps in your collection you should consider yourself very lucky. A maximum of only 304,000 of each design entered circulation!

How your Scarcity Index works

Generally collectors have had to rely upon mintage figures to identify the scarcest coins.  But they only tell part of the story.  Trying to find a good quality coin from 15 – 20 years ago, even for a higher mintage issue, is much more challenging than a more recent issue, as coins become damaged over time and are ultimately removed from circulation.

Additionally, some designs are more hoarded than others by people who might not normally collect coins – the poignant First World War £2 Coin series being an example. Finally, it can be up to a couple of years before the Royal Mint eventually confirms the actual mintage for an issue.

That’s why we have combined the mintage information with two other key pieces of information.

  • How many of each design are listed as “collected” by Change Checkers, indicating the relative ease of finding a particular coin.
  • The number of times a design has been requested as a swap 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 allowing Change Checkers to track the relative performance of the UK’s circulation coins.

How much are my coins worth?

The Scarcity Index does not necessarily equate to value but it is certainly an effective indicator.  For example, the Kew Gardens 50p coin commands a premium of up to 200 times face value on eBay.

You can use the 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 and, because they are no longer being issued, this is now set in stone.

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NATIONAL PLATINUM JUBILEE 50p for 50p BALLOT ANNOUNCED!

2022 marks Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II‘s Platinum Jubilee – an incredible 70 year reign that makes her the longest reigning living monarch worldwide!

At Change Checker HQ, we’ve been celebrating this royal milestone with the issue of the brand new 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p coin, issued earlier this year.

And today, we’re excited to announce our National Platinum Jubilee 50p for 50p ballot is open!

This was the UK’s first royal 50p and featured a special obverse design of Her Majesty on horsebacknever before seen on a UK 50p!

It was so sought-after that the entire limited edition range sold-out within less than 24 hours at The Royal Mint!

In addition to the 50p coins won in our Face Value Coin Ballot, Change Checker also swapped 7,808 Platinum Jubilee 50p coins at our four Live Coin Swap Events (1,952 coins per event!).

And now, we’re delighted to have opened our National Platinum Jubilee 50p for 50p ballot, in celebration of the UK’s biggest bank holiday, coming in June!

Your chance to own the 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p for JUST 50p

Today, you have the opportunity to enter the Change Checker ballot for the chance to be one of the 1,952 lucky collectors to own this sought-after coin for JUST 50p!

Simply click here to enter for free!

The winners will be contacted via email on the 1st June with details of how to claim your new 50p coin for just 50p.

Best of luck, Change Checkers!


Don’t want to miss out?

Secure the brand new 2022 UK Platinum Jubilee 50p for your collection in Brilliant Uncirculated quality today! Simply click here to guarantee yours for £4.99 (+p&p) >>

Your coin will come struck to a Brilliant Uncirculated quality, protectively encapsulated in official Change Checker packaging – the perfect way to preserve your coin for generations to come!

New £1 coin design to enter circulation!

A brand new £1 coin is set to enter circulation, marking the 40th anniversary of it’s introduction!

The Nations of the Crown £1 in hand.
The 2017 12-sided £1 coin.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced that artist Michael Armitage will design the new coin.

It’s believed the coin’s design will celebrate the culture, creativity, and heritage and history of the UK in the 21st century.

Speaking at a Royal College of Art’s (RCA) reception, Mr Sunak said: “I am delighted that Michael will lend his vision to the creation of this new £1 coin design in its 40th anniversary year. This coin will symbolise the rich tapestry of modern Britain and honour our deep heritage and history.”

Michael Armitage was earlier this year elected as a Royal Academician in the category of painting by the Royal Academy of Arts, London – meaning we’re sure to see a fantastic design on this brand new coin!

This will be the the first new £1 design since 2017 and Armitage said it will “combine our 1,100 years of craftsmanship with cutting-edge design to champion modern Britain.”

The 12-sided £1 coin has been in circulation since its introduction in 2016, having replaced the familiar round pound coins. It’s aim was to be the most secure coin yet.

This brand new design will become the standard circulating £1 coin* and will include the current “world-leading” high-security features to protect against counterfeiting, the Treasury said.

We can’t wait to see the design of this brand new coin and to start searching for it in our change! Let us know in the comments below if you’re excited to find this new coin!

*The new coin will enter circulation in 2023, marking the 40th anniversary of the modern £1 coin.


If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use and allows users to:

– Find and identify the coins in their pocket
– Collect and track the coins they have
– Swap their spare coins with other Change Checkers

Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app