Change all round! Your Scarcity Index Update…

It’s time for your latest Scarcity Index update, where we reveal the UK’s most sought-after circulation coins of the last three months! As we continue to go out and spend more cash, we’ve seen some BIG movers and shakers on our Scarcity Index.

There’s been movement across all of our indexes, with one coin climbing 16 spots and another dropping by 14!

You can use the updated A-Z 10p, 50p and £2 indexes below to discover how sought-after the coins in your collection really are.

This information has been compiled using data from the Change Checker Swap Centre and presented in the easy to use indexes below, with arrows to signify how many places up or down a coin has moved since the last Scarcity Index.

A-Z 10p Scarcity Index

10p Scarcity Index

The Union Jack 10p has jumped up an incredible 16 places on our 10p index this quarter, placing it the highest we’ve ever seen it!

Some other big movers include the Villages and ‘X’ Marks the Spot 10p coins, both climbing 12 places each. The Jubilee 10p has dropped by 14 places, pushing it towards the bottom of our Index.

All of the lower mintage A-Z 10ps have remained strong at the top of the index; the Y, Z, and W 10ps all have a 2019 mintage of JUST 63,000 so it would take some doing to beat them to the top…

Regardless of where they feature in the above index, if you have any of the A-Z 10ps in your collection you should consider yourself very lucky. A maximum of only 304,000 of each design entered circulation!

Find out which A-Z 10p coins have the lowest mintages here >>

50p Scarcity Index

50p Scarcity Index

There’s been a lot of movement at the top of our 50p Index, with each Olympic 50p have been shaken up! The Table Tennis 50p has climbed by seven spots, and Gymnastics climbing an impressive five spots too.

In the middle of our Index, we’ve seen a big move for Taekwondo, dropping eight places. Equally, the Commonwealth Games 50p has climbed by six places, pushing it further into the middle of our Index.

The 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p has climbed by an incredible 13 places, which is the biggest move we’ve seen for this coin since our Index started. The Libraries 50p has also dropped by 13 places, pushing it down to the bottom of our Index. These two coins are definitely worth watching over our coming Index updates.

£2 Scarcity Index

£2 Scarcity Index

This £2 Index is full of movers and shakers, as only 8 coins have stayed in the same spot from last quarter’s update!

Some key movers at the top of the Index, include the Commonwealth Games Wales £2, which has previously sat comfortably in the top five. It’s been bumped down three places, with the 2015 First World War (Navy) coin jumping up 4 spots to position itself just below the other Commonwealth Games and Olympic £2 coins.

Other notable moves include the Florence Nightingale and Brunel – Paddington Station coins, which have climbed seven and five spots respectfully.

Interestingly, the Britannia £2 has also climbed by five places, pushing it closer to the top of the Index. This is definitely one to watch over the coming updates!

How your Scarcity Index works

Generally collectors have had to rely upon mintage figures to identify the scarcest coins.  But they only tell part of the story.  Trying to find a good quality coin from 15 – 20 years ago, even for a higher mintage issue, is much more challenging than a more recent issue, as coins become damaged over time and are ultimately removed from circulation.

Additionally, some designs are more hoarded than others by people who might not normally collect coins – the poignant First World War £2 Coin series being an example. Finally, it can be up to a couple of years before the Royal Mint eventually confirms the actual mintage for an issue.

That’s why we have combined the mintage information with two other key pieces of information.

  • How many of each design are listed as “collected” by Change Checkers, indicating the relative ease of finding a particular coin.
  • The number of times a design has been requested as a swap over the previous 3 months, showing the current level of collector demand.

Importantly, as new coins are released and popularity rises and falls across different designs the Scarcity Index will be updated quarterly allowing Change Checkers to track the relative performance of the UK’s circulation coins.

How much are my coins worth?

The Scarcity Index does not necessarily equate to value but it is certainly an effective indicator.  For example, the Kew Gardens 50p coin commands a premium of up to 200 times face value on eBay.

You can use the 6 point guide to help you determine a more realistic value for your coins.

What about £1 Coins?

The £1 Scarcity Index has already been published for the Round £1 coins and, because they are no longer being issued, this is now set in stone.

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4 Comments

  1. Stewart Reid on August 13, 2021 at 9:19 pm

    Can you split the a>z into the years 2019 & 2018?
    It would save a lot of confusion
    Cheers



  2. Shun-Yuen Pang on August 13, 2021 at 8:54 am

    Why is there never published on scarcity of silver proof and piedfort coins?



    • Alexandra Siddons on August 16, 2021 at 5:46 pm

      Hi there,

      Our Scarcity Index is only for circulating UK coins. Not intended for circulation coins do not feature (Brilliant Uncirculated, Silver Proof, Gold Proof, etc).

      This is because we rely on mintage figures to make up part of their index score and the mintage figures for higher spec coins are often harder to get hold of as they are confirmed as quickly as circulation coins.

      I hope this helps.

      Best regards,
      Alex



  3. GeorgeCollectsCoins on August 12, 2021 at 8:18 pm

    Epic