Rare 50P coins: British 50 pence coins have become one of the most collectible modern denominations in the world of coin collecting and some versions of the issued coins are worth far more than their face value, making pocket change a nice little investment!
They are 7-sided coins that were introduced in 1969 as part of Britain’s switch to decimal currency and over the years have had several commemorative designs, many of which now command a high price on the collector market.
Rare 50P coins: The Kew Gardens 50p: The Crown Jewel
But the undoubted ruler of rare 50ps remains the Kew Gardens 2009 coin, which boasts the iconic Chinese Pagoda of London’s Royal Botanic Gardens. With just 210,000 produced – when the average circulation figure is in the mullti millions – it is the rarest British 50p in circulation.
They were worth only 50p each but can be sold for anywhere between £150-£170 at auction, and up to £200 if they are in mint condition.
Interest in the Kew Gardens 50p is so high that the Royal Mint brought the design back in 2019, in a limited edition commemorative set – although these newer versions have strike marks that make them distinct from the rare, original release.
Olympic Rarities
The London 2012 Olympics yielded one of the widest varieties of 50p collectable coin designs – 29 representing the different Olympic sports.
Although the gold abandoned design half eagles were produced in relatively large numbers, several designs are far more popular than others:
The aquatic design featured lines of water over the swimmer’s face. (Such was later amended for the sake of clearer jargon, the original being now a rarity and among collectors worth £20-£30.)
The football 50p saw the offside rule depicted on the reverse. Around 1.1 million were minted and a nice one will now fetch £15-£20.
The wrestling 50p featuring the classic Olympic sport is now fetching around £15, especially for uncirculated versions.
Beatrix Potter Characters
The Beatrix Potter series, launched in 2016 in honor of the popular children’s author, has now yielded multiple collectible depictions.
The 2018 Flopsy Bunny and Peter Rabbit coins had fewer of them made and are worth from £5-£15 depending on condition.
The 2016 Jemima Puddle-Duck, of which 2.1 million were struck, has been particularly popular with collectors, with uncirculated versions selling for £10-£15.
The Discontinued Designs
Some planned 50p designs occasionally get pulled before they are widely circulated, which instantly creates a rare coin.
The 1992-1993 EC Presidency and Single Market 50p was due to be the 50p released to celebrate the UK presidency of the Council of Ministers of the European Community.
However, only a relatively small number were introduced before the design was withdrawn following the UK’s departure from the ERM. Authentic, they are very rare indeed and can sell for upwards of £250.
Other rare 50ps worth 50p include:
The 2017 Sir Isaac Newton 50p, which had a mintage of 1.8 million and celebrates the renowned scientist and one time Master of the Royal Mint. The example above is a’bENA’ banknote and will sell up to £8-£12 in uncirculated condition.
The 2018 Paddington Bear coins are also becoming very popular now, both coins from that year which depict the much loved bear at the station and at Buckingham Palace, with perfect versions worth £5-£10 each.
2019 Sherlock Holmes 50p When the 2019 Sherlock Holmes 50p was released to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, it has proved extremely popular and collector demand means that uncirculated versions of the coin regularly sell on eBay for between £5-£8.
Factors Affecting Value
There are a number of factors that affect the value of rare 50p coins:
Mintage numbers are the key factor and generally speaking, fewer coins mean heightened value: a sought-after sought-after coin with the smallest number in production causes the greatest excitement (and highest price) when it surfaces.
Condition is everything, and if they are uncirculated or “brilliant uncirculated,” the prices would be much higher for the same coins with wear.
Packaging makes a difference for collector editions too — a coin in its original Royal Mint packaging is usually worth more than a loose one.
Authentication is even more critical as values escalate, with professional grading services providing certification to help determine legitimate market value.
The Collector Market
The rare 50p coin market has mushroomed in the past few years, thanks to media attention and the ease of collecting.
Unlike conventional coin collecting, where it can cost a lot to breach the market, 50p collecting is low level in terms of such a bar is set and can be achieved by anyone interested in it, as it starts with very low value coins from our everyday circulation.
The internet has democratized collecting, allowing easier access to desired coins but also adding the risk of counterfeits and misrepresented items.
Specialist commemorative coin collectors may value a decent, albeit unofficial, service, however, the settlement is also included in the prolific general public while the collectors shut down annually.
Rare 50P coins:
It’s the little 50p piece – a sedate handbag dweller keeping the change in the right-pocket taxi vs coffee in Pret battle – which has transformed from utilitarian decimal introduction to collector’s market and canvas for commemorative art.
And although tales of thousands of pounds for rare coins occasionally grab headlines, the truth is that 50p collecting is far more likely to yield smaller, but still impressive, returns.
Historical and artistic significance of these unique seven-sided coins can be of worth to collectors for other collectors though.
For the change-checking, a Kew Gardens 50p or an earlier Olympic design could be the ticket to turning everyday currency into a wallet-tingling valuable collectors’ item.
