A coin connoisseur has advised people to sift through their spare change for certain 50p coins that could fetch a tidy sum. Collectors are on the prowl for these elusive coins due to their low mintage numbers, which makes them a rare find, and could potentially pay up to £80.
The Coin Collector UK, sharing his insights on TikTok, highlighted the specific 50p coins to keep an eye out for. He stated: “You can get up to £80 pound each for these shield 50ps that you can find in your change.”
The shield design debuted in 2008 and is part of a larger motif that spans across the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, and 20p coins, which together form the image of a shield. This concept was born from a Royal Mint competition that attracted roughly 4,000 participants.
The value of a shield 50p can vary greatly depending on its minting year; while some are merely worth their nominal value, others are highly prized. This discrepancy is often because certain shield 50p coins were not released for general circulation but were instead exclusively available in annual coin sets, which when opened, might release these coins to the public, reports Lancs Live.
Change Checker experts shed light on the matter, and said: “Despite the royal shield being the definitive UK 50p design for a 14 year period, not every year saw them entering circulation. Royal shield 50ps dated 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018 and 2021 are particularly special, because they were never intended for general circulation.”
The coin collector in his video pointed out that the ones to look for are from 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2016, with the latter being the most valuable. He elaborated: “So we have 2009, 2010, and 2011. These all sell for between £30 and £40 each. I’ve been lucky enough to find one 2009, two 2010s and also two 2011s as well in my change.”
However, he emphasised that the 2016 is the one you really want. He said: “Another date to be looking out for, I don’t actually have this one to hand, is the year 2016. So when you flip the coin it’ll say 2016 the date up there, that’s actually the most valuable. It goes for about £60 to £80.”
At the time of reporting, a 2016 shield 50p coin was listed on eBay for £135, while another one was spotted on the auction site for £78.95. He further added: “Another one I’ve been lucky enough to find is a 2018 shield. This one again about £30, £40 maybe even £45. And the most recent one to be looking out for is the year 2021 currently selling for about £20 to £25.
“It’s also worth mentioning in the 2017 shield. Unlike the others this one did go in circulation, But it’s the lowest mintage shield, only 1.8 million made, and this goes for about £1 to £2.” The most recent Royal shield 50p coin issued for circulation was in 2022.
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