Valuable 50p Coins
2021 marks 50 years since our UK coins turned decimal, in the biggest numismatic change seen in centuries.
In celebration of this significant anniversary, The Royal Mint issued not one, but TWO Decimal Day 50ps in 2021. The reverse designs are the same, but that certainly can’t be said for their obverses…
Feb 02, 2021 Left: The 2011 Olympic Goalball 50p and, right, the Olympic Triathlon 50p are both rare In 2018, 1,400,000 copies of this Peter Rabbit 50p coin were minted in Britain. What is the rarest 50p coin? The 2009 Kew Gardens 50p coin remains the rarest of all coins with just 210,000 in circulation. But if you include definitive coins – meaning those produced annually – then the second rarest 50p design is the 2017 Royal Shield of Arms. Other rare 50p coins are typically going for between 10 to 12 times face value. The most sought after 50p is the Kew Gardens design which is sold on eBay for up to £160.
The first version of the Decimal Day 50p, available exclusively in the 2021 Annual Coin Set, features the original Arnold Machin portraitof Her Majesty The Queen on the obverse – the same obverse used for the UK’s very first decimal coins.
However, the individual coin which was released later in January, featured Jody Clark’s fifth portrait of The Queen instead.
So why did The Royal Mint revert back to the Queen’s first decimal effigy for this new issue? Join Change Checker as we take a closer look…
Spot the Difference
The 50p available in the Annual Setwhich features the original Machin portrait on the obverse, quickly caught the eyes of collectors as this was the first time we have seen The Royal Mint revert a previous portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II on a base metal UK coin.
Marking 50 years since our UK coins went decimal, it seemed only fitting that this coin should include Machin’s obverse design.
But, when the Decimal Day 50p was individually released later in January, collectors had the opportunity to get their hands on a second version of this coin, as Jody Clark’s portrait of The Queen featured on the obverse.
Rare 50p Coins
So with two versions of the 2021 UK Decimal Day 50p out there, this coin is set to become a real talking point among collectors!
Arnold Machin Portrait
The significance of this anniversary and the fact that the Machin portrait of HM QEII was the first to be used on the UK’s 50p, makes for the perfect excuse to revert back to this previous effigy on the exclusive Decimal Day 50p within the Annual Set.
The UK’s very first decimal coins (5p, 10p, followed by 50p) actually entered circulation before 1971 and as they were circulating together with pre-decimal currency, a new portrait of The Queen was commissioned to help the new coins stand out.
Arnold Machin’s new portrait showed The Queen wearing a tiara given to The Queen by her grandmother, Queen Mary.
We love the fact that collectors have the chance to see this previous portrait reused on this brand new 50p and it certainly makes for interesting collecting!
Have you secure both versions of the 2021 Decimal Day for your collections? Let us know in the comments below!
But that’s not all, as this is not the first time we’ve seen different obverses used on the same coin…
2015 Battle of Britain 50p
In 2015, The Battle of Britain 50p shot to fame as collectors were quick to spot that there were THREE different versions of the coin, with different obverses on each of them.
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 play to this, with some managing to sell on the coins for near to £100 each on the secondary market.
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?
So how did this coin end up with three different obverses?
Each version of this coin has caused a stir in the collecting world. Not only does this Battle of Britain 50p fail to feature a denomination on the Brilliant Uncirculated version, but the obverse is different for each finish used for the coin – a first for a UK commemorative coin.
In 2019, a brand new re-issued Brilliant Uncirculated version of the Battle of Britain 50p (from the 2019 50th Anniversary of the 50p Military Set) saw Jody Clark’s portrait and the 50 PENCE denomination – making this the FOURTH version of this 50p!
Do you have any of the Battle of Britain 50p coins? Let us know in the comments below!
Secure the 2021 Annual Set with the Decimal Day 50p that features the original Arnold Machin obverse!
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18 January 2021, 12:16
A list of the most rare and valuable 50p coins has been released.
If you’ve got any spare change rattling around in your piggy bank, it might be time to dig it out because the rarest 50p coins have been revealed.
Coin site ChangeChecker has a list of the most valuable coins to watch out for and they could be worth as much as £900.
In general, the lower the mintage the rarer the coin, and the rarity correlates with how valuable the coin is.
However, the value can also depend on the demand from collectors.
According to the Daily Mail, these are the rarest 50p coins:
1. Alternative Olympic swimming 50p - 2011
This coin was minted alongside 28 other coins ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.
Before the final version was put into circulation, an unknown number of alternative design coins were released.
Philip Mussell of Coin News magazine told the Daily Mail that it could worth between £750 and £900.
2. Blue Peter Olympic 50p - 2009
Valuable 50p Coins 2020
Another 2012 Olympics coin, this one was drawn by a child who won a Blue Peter competition.
It features someone doing the high jump and there are 19,751 of these coins in circulation.
Some have sold for as much as £230.
3. Kew Gardens 50p - 2009
The famous Kew Gardens coin was released in 2009 and just 210,000 are in circulation.
It has previously sold for up to £230 on eBay.
4. Olympic football 50p - 2011
The third Olympic themed coin on the list is the football coin which features an explanation of the offside rule.
There were over one million put into circulation so it only goes for around £14 online.
5. Olympic wrestling 50p - 2011
Rare And Valuable 50p Coins
The fifth rarest coin was once again created ahead of the 2012 London Olympics, but this one is themed around wrestling and can go for around £17 online.
Valuable 50p Coins List
Other Olympic coins which are also considered among the rarest include judo, triathlon and tennis.