It’s all change for the 50ps! Your Scarcity Index…

It’s time for your latest Scarcity Index update, where we’ll reveal the UK’s most sought-after circulation coins of the last three months! And it’s all change again for the 50ps this quarter, as one coin drops a huge 15 places!

With less cash being used because of the current climate, it’s likely this is affecting collecting and it seems this has exposed some new trends on the indexes!

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

Well we’ve seen another big mix up for the latest A-Z 10p Scarcity Index update, with our biggest climber, M for Mackintosh, jumping up a huge 12 places!

In our last Scarcity Index, we saw the Tea 10p take the top spot for the first time and it’s retained its title this quarter, closely followed by Y for Yeoman Warder.

Other big movers include the H for Houses of Parliament and F for Fish and Chips, both moving down 16 places towards the bottom of the index.

Regardless of where they feature on the above index, if you have any of the A-Z 10ps in your collection you should consider yourself lucky, as they are particularly hard to come by in circulation and each design has a relatively low mintage (just 220,000 of each design released in 2018 and 2.1 million overall in 2019).

50p Scarcity Index

Previously the Football 50p had held second spot behind the most sought-after 50p in circulation, the Kew Gardens, but we saw it drop last quarter, and this Index, it’s similar story! The Judo, Triathlon and Wrestling 50ps have now all bumped the Football 50p to fifth spot.

This update sees a huge jump for Taekwondo, jumping up 11 places and landing it in our top 10. There are big changes for the Wheelchair Rugby and Athletics 50ps too, dropping 15 and 11 respectively.

Since our last Scarcity Index update, we’ve seen the 2018 Peter Rabbit drop 3 places but the 2018 Flopsy Bunny 50p has jumped up 2 spots. As the two rarest Beatrix Potter 50ps in circulation, it’s interesting to see them shuffle once more. These coins are definitely the ones to watch…

£2 Scarcity Index

For the first time in recent updates, the Commonwealth Games coins have been disrupted at the top of the index. The Olympic Handover has bumped the Commonwealth Games Wales £2 out of the top 4, moving up a place.

As for the rest of the index, there’s been a substantial amount of reshuffling. The Shakespeare Tragedies has dropped 11 places, whilst the First World War (Navy) is up 3!

After the announcement that there are no plans to issue any £2 coins into circulation for the next 10 years, it’s likely we’ll see a further shuffle to the £2 Index over the next few quarters.

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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It’s time for Tea! Your Scarcity Index Update…

It’s time for your latest Scarcity Index update, where we’ll reveal the UK’s most sought-after circulation coins of the last three months! And it’s all change again for the A-Z 10ps, as Tea establishes itself in top spot…

With less cash being used because of the current climate, it’s likely this is affecting collecting and it seems this has exposed some new trends on the indexes!

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

Well we’ve seen another big mix up for the latest A-Z 10p Scarcity Index update, with a new leader taking top spot!

In our last Scarcity Index, we saw B for Bond knocked off the top spot by the NHS 10p, but now we’ve seen both of these coins move further down the pack, by 11 and 4 points respectively. The Tea 10p takes the top spot for the first time and Bond now sits at the lowest we’ve seen since our A-Z 10p Scarcity Index started!

Other key movers to keep an eye on are the Y for Yeoman Warders and G for Greenwich Meantime 10ps, both moving up the index by 8 places.

Regardless of where they feature on the above index, if you have any of the A-Z 10ps in your collection you should consider yourself lucky, as they are particularly hard to come by in circulation and each design has a relatively low mintage (just 220,000 of each design released in 2018 and 2.1 million overall in 2019).

50p Scarcity Index

We can’t quite believe it, but it looks as though the Olympic Football 50p has been knocked off second place by the Judo 50p this quarter! However, it’s not done enough to take the top spot, as it sits 18 points behind the scarcest 50p coin in circulation, the Kew Gardens. But, are you lucky enough to have the Judo 50p in your collection? Let us know in the comments below.

There’s been quite a lot of shuffling around with the Olympic 50ps, with Table Tennis moving up the index by 16 places! Although, it’s definitely worth noting that all of the Olympic 50ps are particularly sought-after due to their low mintage figures and an estimated 75% have been removed from circulation by collectors, making them even harder to get hold of.

Since our last Scarcity Index update, we’ve seen the 2018 Peter Rabbit climb 2 places but the 2018 Flopsy Bunny 50p has dropped down by 4 places. As the two rarest Beatrix Potter 50ps in circulation, it’s interesting to see them move in opposite directions on the index, so we’ll be keeping our eye on these over the next quarter…

£2 Scarcity Index

The top five coins on the £2 index remain strong, with the Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland keeping its position at the top, now 20 points above the second most sought-after £2 coin in circulation.

There’s been a slight reshuffling on the top half of the index, with the Commonwealth Games England and Scotland, switching positions from the last index! We’ve also seen the King James Bible £2 jump up 4 places, bringing it 6th position.

In the bottom half of the index, there’s been some big shakers! The Shakespeare Histories £2 has dropped a huge 13 points, pushing into the penultimate spot, and Florence Nightingale has also dropped by 6 points!

We’re yet to see any new £2 coins in our change since demand has been so low, although I’m sure I speak for many collectors when I say we eagerly anticipate the release of new £2’s into circulation, hopefully in the near future.

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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Secure your own Change Checker Coin Collecting Pack for just £3.50 to house all five 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p coins by clicking here!


If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use and allows users to:

– Find and identify the coins in their pocket
– Collect and track the coins they have
– Swap their spare coins with other Change Checkers

Change Checker Web App Banner 2 Amends 1024x233 1 1024x233 - Your January 2019 Scarcity Index update!

Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app

NHS 10p takes top spot! Your Scarcity Index Update…

It’s time for your latest Scarcity Index update, where we’ll reveal the UK’s most sought-after circulation coins of the last three months! And it’s all change for the A-Z 10ps, as NHS establishes itself in top spot…

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

Well we really have seen quite a mix up for the latest A-Z 10p Scarcity Index update, with a new leader taking top spot!

B for Bond has not only been knocked off the top spot, but has actually dropped 11 places down towards the middle of the pack.

In its place we have a very worthy winner and it comes as no surprise that the most sought-after A-Z 10p is currently N for NHS. Now, more than ever, the NHS is playing a vital role to keep us safe and well during the coronavirus pandemic and so it seems only fitting that this 10p has grown in popularity. Acting as a reminder of the strength, hope and support of not only our National Health Service, but the British people as a whole during this unpreceded time in history.

Other key movers to keep an eye on are the F for Fish and Chips and M for Mackintosh 10ps, moving up the index 11 and 9 places respectively.

Regardless of where they feature on the above index, if you have any of the A-Z 10ps in your collection you should consider yourself lucky, as they are particularly hard to come by in circulation and each design has a relatively low mintage (just 220,000 of each design released in 2018 and 2.1 million overall in 2019).

50p Scarcity Index

The 50p Scarcity Index has remained fairly stable at the top and bottom, with Kew Gardens holding strong in the top spot, a whole 12 points ahead of the second scarcest 50p in circulation, the Olympic Football.

There’s been a bit of a shuffle around with the Olympic 50ps, with Wheelchair Rugby moving up the index by 11 places! Although it’s definitely worth noting that all of the Olympic 50ps are particularly sought-after due to their low mintage figures and an estimated 75% have been removed from circulation by collectors, making them even harder to get hold of.

Perhaps we’ll see the popularity of these coins increase further next year when the Olympic Games will be held in Tokyo, following their postponement this year.

Another couple of sought-after 50ps we’ve been keeping our eyes on are the 2018 Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny coins. Since making an appearance on the index for the first time towards the end of last year, they’ve since been creeping their way up and up. In this update, Peter Rabbit has moved up by 3 places and Flopsy Bunny by 4! As the two rarest Beatrix Potter 50ps in circulation, it’s no wonder these coins are so sought-after, but are you lucky enough to have them in your collection?

£2 Scarcity Index

The top five coins on the £2 index remain strong, with the Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland keeping its position at the top, 18 points above the second most sought-after £2 coin in circulation.

We’ve seen little activity throughout the top half of the index, with only a few coins shuffling one or two places.

However there’s been a bit more movement in the second half of the index, with the key coin to watch being the 60th Anniversary of the End of World War Two (commonly known as St Paul’s Cathedral) £2. This coin has moved up the index by 4 places and the increased popularity could possibly be due to the significant anniversary year, as 2020 marks 75 years since the end of World War Two.

We’re yet to see any new £2 coins in our change since demand has been so low, although I’m sure I speak for many collectors when I say we eagerly anticipate the release of new £2’s into circulation, hopefully in the near future.

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.


If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use and allows users to:

– Find and identify the coins in their pocket
– Collect and track the coins they have
– Swap their spare coins with other Change Checkers

Change Checker Web App Banner 2 Amends 1024x233 1 1024x233 - Your January 2019 Scarcity Index update!

Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app