Royal Mint to reissue UK’s rarest 50p coins including Kew Gardens design – and they could be worth up to £150 now
SOME of the UK's rarest 50p coins will be reissued by the Royal Mint next year - including one that sells for up to £150 on eBay.
Ten old designs will be minted again, including a sought-after Kew Gardens 50p piece from 2009.
They won't end up in your loose change though, as the coins will only be issued as commemorative cupro-nickel, silver and gold proofs to mark the 50th anniversary of the 50p coin.
Eight of the coins are among the 59 rarest 50p pieces that have entered circulation in the UK, according to coin collecting website Change Checker's .
Among them is the Kew Gardens design, which were minted in 2009 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of London's Kew Gardens.
Only 210,000 of them were issued, making it one of the most in demand coins.
These coins can fetch high prices on eBay, with circulated versions of the Kew Gardens design have sold on eBay for up to £150.
What to do if you've found a rare coin
FIRSTLY, you need to make sure the coin is legitimate and not counterfeit.
Around one in every four old £1 coins were thought to be fake, according to the Royal Mint, so there are probably more fakers in your spare change then you realise.
The Royal Mint is unable to value a coin but it can confirm whether it is real or not. They will usually supply you with a letter to confirm this.
Once you’ve found out whether the coin is real or not, you have a number of options - either selling it through a coin dealer, at auction or on eBay.
A word of warning: these commemorative reissued coins are very unlikely to be as valuable as the original coins from the year they were first minted.
But if only a small number of the reissued coins are minted, they could become valuable because they will be rare.
The Royal Mint has not yet revealed when exactly the coins will be minted or how many of each coin design will be reissued. The Sun has asked and we will update this story if we hear back.
We've found how valuable each of the ten coins that are due to be reissued next year really are by seeing how much circulated versions of the 50p pieces recently sold on eBay.
Now might be a good time to check the change in your purse before they are reissued - because you might be the owner of one of the rarest 50p coins without even knowing it.
Kew Gardens - worth up to £150
The Kew Gardens 50p tops Change Checker's scarcity index list of the coins currently in circulation.
With a mintage (the number of coins issued) of just 210,000, it is the rarest coin and is the most in demand.
The silver versions were released into circulation in 2009 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of London's Kew Gardens, and the coins feature the famous Chinese pagoda from the botanical gardens on the design.
The coins sell for up to, while sell for up to £382.
Battle of Hastings - worth up to £25
It was released to commemorate 950 years since the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
D-Day Landings - worth up to £5.50
The full list of 50p coins which will be reissued in 2019
HERE is a full list of the 50p coins which will be reissued in 2019:
- Kew Gardens, 2009 - sells for up to £150
- Battle of Britain, 2015 - sells for up to £4.20
- Roger Bannister, 2004 - sells for up to £1.20
- Scouts, 2007 - sells for up to £1
- Battle of Hastings, 2016 - sells for up to £25
- Girl Guides, 2010 - sells for up to £3
- Victoria Cross (Medal), 2006 - sells for up to £1.95
- Victoria Cross (Heroic Acts), 2006 - sells for up to £1.99
- D-Day Landings, 1994 - sells for up to £5.50
- Britannia, 1997 to 2008 - worth its face value
Battle of Britain - worth up to £4.20
Girl Guides - worth up to £3
Victoria Cross (Heroic Acts) - worth up to £1.99
7. Victoria Cross (Medal)
Roger Bannister - worth up to £1.20
Scouts - worth up to £1
Britannia - value unknown
It's not just rare 50p coins that are valuable.
We've also published a guide to the most sought-after £2 coins in circulation.
One pound coins can also be very valuable depending on the design - here's a guide to the rarest coins.
Every year the Royal Mint releases sought-after commemorative coins, and earlier this year we revealed this year's designs.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Money team? Email us at money@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 78 24516. Don't forget to join the for the latest bargains and money-saving advice.