Kew Gardens 50p named ‘most valuable coin last year’ – and it’s worth up to £90
The coin is estimated to be worth around 180 times its original value although it could be worth more depending on what condition it is in
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THE Kew Gardens 50p was the most valuable coin last year, which is estimated to be worth £90 each.
If you wound up with one of the commemorative coins in your change last year, the chances are you were quids in, according to consumer group .
Using Change Checker's scarcity index, the consumer group has rounded up the most valuable coins of 2018 and the commemorative coin came out on top.
It was first launched back in 2009 to celebrate 250 years since London's Kew Gardens opened its gates.
At first, uncirculated versions of the coins were sold directly by the Royal Mint in special packaging which are now selling on eBay for up to £250.
A small batch of 210,000 of the coins were released into circulation and these ones are worth a mint too, even if they're a little more damaged.
What are the most valuable 50p coins?
HAVE a rummage through the change in your pocket for rare 50p coins because they could be worth a small fortune.
Kew Gardens, up to £160
This rare commemorative coin was created in 2009 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of London’s Kew Gardens. Only 210,000 of these coins were issued and a quick check online shows up that a circulated coin with this design sold for after it got 25 bids.
Sir Isaac Newton, up to £77
At first, just 375 of the Sir Isaac Newton coins were released into the tills at Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire, the birthplace and home of the famous scientist, but more of the coins were slowly released into circulation - adding up to a total of 1.8million. The majority of these coins are still boxed in protective packaging and they're selling for around .
Jemima Puddle Duck, up to £13.50
There are only 2.1million of these coins in circulation and one of the coins recently sold for 27 times its value at .
Suffragettes, up to £7.50
There are currently 3.1million of the coins in circulation. Recently, one coin that had been in circulation fetched - that's 15 times its face value.
WWF, up to £4.50
There are 3.4million coins in circulation and they are hugely popular amongst collectors. We found one that was recently .
Britannia, up to £1.81
Britannia was replaced by the new Royal Shield in 2008 as the standard 50p design, and none have been issued since, making the ones minted in that year valuable to collectors. Only 3.5million were issued into circulation and one recently sold on .
Its popularity and rarity means that it topped scarcity indexes in 2018 pushing up prices online.
The consumer group estimates that this coin is worth 180 times its original value online but we've reported how one lucky seller managed to fetch £160 for the coin by flogging it on eBay.
Inspired, the Royal Mint even released a rare gold version of the coin which fetched £2,000 at the Royal Mint's first historic auction in September.
CASH OUT Are the coins in YOUR pocket worth a small fortune? Find out in our quiz
The coin makers are planning on reissuing the UK's rarest 50p coins including the Kew Gardens 50p but it's not clear how this will affect the value of the currency.
Which? also reckons that the rarest £2 coin of 2018 is from the Commonwealth Games series, with the Northern Ireland version valued at around £28.33, while the English design is worth £14.
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.
The most popular 10p coins last year include the letter "Z" design which is worth around £1.80 and the "M" design valued at £1.33.
Coins that are in a near perfect condition are more valuable to collectors and likely to be worth more.
But it is still worth investigating the value of damaged coins, as one silver, uncirculated version sold for £400 at the Royal Mint auction, even though it was stained on both sides.
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The Kew Gardens 50p could be knocked off the top spot this year as coin hunters look forward to snapping up the new Sherlock Holmes 50p.
The Royal Mint is yet to confirm exactly when and how many will be released into circulation but any new coin is often popular among collectors.
Have you got a 50p coin that might be worth a small fortune? We've put together a roundup of the rarest and most valuable 50p coins so that you can check your change.
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