Posts Tagged ‘Rare coin’
Spot the difference: The Battle of Britain 50p that has caused a stir!
The 2015 50p was issued to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and quickly earned recognition in the collecting world.
Not only has the design by sculptor Gary Breeze enjoyed a positive reception from the public, it’s also the first UK commemorative coin to be issued with THREE different obverses!
Have you found the 2015 Battle of Britain 50p in your change and seen the differences for yourself?
*** UPDATE ***
In 2019, to mark both the 75th anniversary of D Day and the 50th Anniversary of the 50p, The Royal Mint reissued the Battle of Britain 50p as part of the 50p Military Set.
Therefore, we can now say that this coin officially has FOUR different obverses!
This latest addition features Jody Clark’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II with the denomination and the reissue date of 2019.
The 50p Military Set includes five 50p coins which were issued in the last 50 years to mark some of Britain’s most significant military moments and each coin has been struck in Brilliant Uncirculated quality.
An error or intentional?
The Brilliant Uncirculated 50p was issued early in 2015 and was quickly dubbed an error coin. The coins, which were sold in presentation packs, had been struck without the denomination in either numbers or writing anywhere on the coin. Chancers were quick to strike, with some managing to sell the coins on the secondary market for nearly £100 each!
After the controversy surrounding the coin erupted, the Royal Mint confirmed that the 50p intended for circulation later on in the year would have the ’50 PENCE’ denomination. But was this after they had realised their mistake?
Do you have any of the Battle of Britain 50ps in your collection?
Let us know in the comments if you’ve found a rare version of the Battle of Britain 50p in your change!
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Ultimate Guide: The Top 10 Rarest Coins in Circulation
Have I just found a rare coin? It’s a question which collectors ask daily, and to help answer it, we’ve put together these charts showing the TOP 10 rarest coins for each of the four denominations on the Change Checker App.
How does your coin stack up against the others?
- £2 Coins – View in the Change Checker App
The Northern Ireland 2002 Commonwealth Games is the rarest £2 coin currently in circulation – in fact the four designs in the 2002 Commonwealth Games series can be found in the top ten chart. Others to look out for include both 2008 and 2012 Olympic Handover Two Pound Coin designs and the 2015 Royal Navy £2.
- £1 Coins – View in the Change Checker App
The rarest One Pound coin currently in circulation is the Edinburgh £1 – have you ever spotted one in your change? The Royal Arms is a common design which is sometimes ignored, but remember to look out for one with a 2008 date – that’s actually the fourth rarest.
- Olympic 50p Coins – View in the Change Checker App
The Olympic Fifty Pence series is very popular with Change Checkers, but in terms of rarity, there really isn’t much separating the top 10 designs. The Football ‘Offside Rule’ 50p was certainly one of the most talked about designs, and it also narrowly ranks as the scarcest.
- 50p Coins – View in the Change Checker App
As mentioned in our previous blog the rarest coin, of any denomination, is the Kew Gardens 50p. Its status as the most scarce coin has been well publicised, and as a result, many are hoarded by collectors. The chart below illustrates just how rare it is compared with other Fifty Pence designs.
Hopefully our charts will help you identify which coins you should be looking for in your loose change, and remember you can Find, Collect and Swap all your coins for FREE with the Change Checker App: www.changechecker.org/app
Add this year’s most sought after 50ps to your collection!
Own the 2018 Paddington 50p coins in Brilliant Uncirculated quality and give this adorable British bear a home! Just £3.99 each (+p&p) >>
Which coins are missing from your collection?
The story of the undated 20p
It’s regarded by many as the Holy Grail of change collecting, and back in 2008, the undated 20p saga encouraged an entire country to start carefully checking their coins. In fact plenty of collectors are still doing just that in the hope of finding one.
Online sellers have set prices sky high, with one seller asking for an astonishing £10m for the the coin! However, although these chancers are unlikely to see their coin actually selling for that price, some people have been willing to pay in the thousands for the chance to own one of these rare coins.
The story of the coin
If you’re not familiar with the story of the undated 20p, this is it:
In 2008, the reverse of each denomination from 1p to £1 was redesigned by Matthew Dent to feature a different part of the Royal Arms Shield. The 20p had previously included the date on the reverse, but with the entire face of the coin now devoted to the new design, the Royal Mint produced a new die with the date on the obverse (Queen’s head) side.
However, when the new Royal Shield 20p coins were struck for circulation, the old die was accidentally used, meaning a batch was issued with no date on either side of the coin.
Coins with mismatched sides like these are known in the collecting world as ‘mules’ – the name deriving from the hybrid offspring of a horse and a donkey. Mule coins are always highly coveted, but they rarely receive the kind of mainstream media attention afforded to the undated 20p.
The undated 20p was the first coin issued for circulation in over 300 years without a date on either side
The first for 300 years
The undated 20p became the first coin in over 300 years to enter circulation without a date, and when the story broke in the press, it caused a frenzy not just in the collecting world but amongst the general public who realised they stood just as good a chance as anyone of pulling one out of their change.
Estimates have varied over the years but The Royal Mint confirmed in a statement that no more than 250,000 coins made it into circulation.
Various stories in the media helped to fuel wild estimates of the value of an undated 20p
Stories from numerous media outlets fuelled rumours about the coin’s value. Experts suggest that the faulty 20ps could be worth £50 each, however sellers on eBay listed the coins for thousands, with one lucky seller fetching a colossal £7,100 (35,500 times face value).
Of course, a coin with such a high mintage could never really be worth that sort of figure, and in recent years the average selling price for an undated 20p has levelled off. Nowadays they normally sell for around the £50 mark which I’m sure you’ll agree is still not a bad return for a 20p coin!
In terms of rarity, you are approximately twice as likely to find an undated 20p as you are the famous Kew Gardens 50p. However, ordinarily an undated 20p will sell for more. But why?
The reason quite simply is that everyone loves a good story.
The fact that the coin only exists by way of a freak accident really adds to its appeal, and makes it a collector’s item in every sense of the term. So remember to have a good look at your 20p next time you’ve got one in your hand. A flip of your coin could be worth a lot more than you thought.
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