Posts by Kate

It’s time for your latest Scarcity Index update – your chance to discover the UK’s most sought-after circulation 10p, 50p, and £2 coins of the last three months!

Our Scarcity Index uses data from the Change Checker Swap Centre 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.

50p Scarcity Index

The top and bottom of the 50p index has remained fairly stable, with the Kew Gardens 50p remaining in the top spot, but despite this, there have been some big changes in this latest update…

Moving up the ranks are some of the Olympic 50ps, including Shooting, Cycling and Boccia which have all climbed significantly. These big jumps up mean that others have to shuffle down the index, and we can see that a fair few 50ps have moved down just 1 or 2 places.

Also making their way down the index are the 50 Years of Pride 50p, the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 50p and the Battle of Britain 50p.
Interestingly, we came across all 3 of these coins in our latest 50p coin hunt, watch it here >>

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

The A-Z 10ps seem to be some of the hardest commemorative coins to find in circulation, not surprising when you consider a maximum of JUST 304,000 of each A-Z 10p design entered circulation across 2018 and 2019.

It’s thought that a large percentage of these 10ps have been snapped up by collectors, leaving a limited amount still in circulation, but it is still possible to find them!

One to keep your eye on is the NHS 10p which has shot up 20 places to 5th place, and the Houses of Parliament 10p which has climbed 12 places.

A few less fortunate coins are the King Arthur 10p which has fallen 10 places and the Ice Cream 10p which has dropped 8 places. The X Marks the Spot 10p remains at the bottom of the index, but it’s worth remembering that this 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

We usually see less movement on the £2 index due to the fact that less coins have entered circulation in recent years, however this time, there have been some big movers.

The £2 index usually remains fairly stable as we’ve not had a £2 coin enter circulation since 2016, however this time we have seen a fair bit of movement!

Of course, remaining at the top of the Index is the 2002 Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2. With a mintage figure of just 458,000, it’s one of the rarest and clearly still one of the most popular £2 coin designs, even 22 years after entering circulation!

The Guinea £2 climbed an impressive 19 places and the Brunel Portrait £2 moved up 9 places.

Some other big movers are the Wireless Transmission £2 and the Florence Nightingale £2 which have both fallen by 10 places and the Steam Locomotive £2 which has dropped 14 places.

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How your Scarcity Index works

Generally, collectors have relied on 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.

What’s more, some designs are more hoarded than others by people who might not normally collect coins – for example the First World War £2 Coin series.

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. This allows Change Checkers to track the relative performance of the UK’s circulation coins.

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How much are my coins worth?

The Scarcity Index doesn’t necessarily equate to value, but it is certainly a good indicator. For example, the Kew Gardens 50p coin commands a premium of up to 200 times face value on eBay and is unsurprisingly top of the 50p Index.

You can use our 6 point guide to help you determine a more realistic value for your coins.

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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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