Posts Tagged ‘50p Coin’
Which Olympic 50p is really the rarest?
The Olympic sports 50p series was a revelation in coin collecting – for many it represents the start of their interest in UK circulation coins and thousands rose to the challenge of finding them all from their change.
But the mintage of each coin in the 29-piece collection is different, and so the likelihood of finding one varies accordingly. Football narrowly holds the title of the rarest sport in the series, but there were still over one million of those struck for circulation. A coin with such a high mintage can hardly be considered as “rare”. For that honourable title, we must look beyond the official Royal Mint circulation figures…
The original Aquatics Olympic 50p
In September last year, we reported on an Aquatics 50p which sold on eBay for £820. As you might suspect, it wasn’t an ordinary Olympic 50p which we would typically pull out of our change – it has a very specific minting ‘error’.
The design was modified to make the swimmer more visible.
The Aquatics 50p which we are familiar with today is actually a modified version which removed the waves passing over the swimmer’s face. However, a small number of the original design were produced before being modified, although this quantity remains a mystery.
What we do know is that it is not unusual for these special coins to exchange hands for close to £1,000 – not a bad return on a 50 pence coin!
The 2009 Athletics Olympic 50p
Only 100,000 Presentation Packs were issued
In 2009, nine-year old Florence Jackson became the youngest person to design a coin for circulation in the UK. Her Athletics Olympic 50p design was the ultimate winner of a Blue Peter competition and her creation featuring an athlete midway through a high-jump can be now be found in our change up and down the country.
You probably recognise the coin, but what you may not know is that a rare version of this coin exists. When the competition winner was revealed, a special edition Blue Peter presentation pack was issued with a 2009 dated coin, making it the only Olympic 50p without a 2011 date. Just 100,000 of these packs were issued, meaning it is more than twice as rare as the famous Kew Gardens 50p.
A gold version of each design was presented to the respective artist
The winner’s gold editions
But rarest of all are the gold versions of each 50p which were presented to their respective winning designers. Only one of each design exists. You certainly won’t find one of those in your change, and they will be quite literally gold dust for years to come.
Aside from their precious metal content, their unique status and significance rank them as potentially the most valuable UK 50p coins in existence.
Are you interested in owning any of the Olympic 50ps? We have a limited number available in the Change Checker Shop. Click on a sport below to add it to your collection. All available with FREE P&P
Aquatics Archery Athletics Badminton Basketball Boccia Boxing
Canoeing Football Goalball Gymnastics Handball Hockey Pentathlon
Rowing Sailing Shooting Table Tennis Taekwondo Tennis Volleyball
Change Checkers vote Royal Navy £2 their favourite
Thank you to everyone who voted for their favourite of the new 2015 coin designs in our recent poll. Thousands of you participated and it was a very close call between the three circulation coins, but in the end the First World War Royal Navy £2 just edged out the Battle of Britain 50p as the most popular design.
Change Checkers voted the Royal Navy £2 as their facourite
The coin (pictured here) is the second design in the Royal Mint’s five year programme commemorating the centenary of the First World War.
The British Royal Navy was by far the best in the world at the time of outbreak in 1914, and offered a formidable defence of British coastal waters throughout the war.
The reverse design by renowned military artist David Rowlands features the imposing image of a First World War Navy battleship approaching on the open sea with the anniversary dates around the outside.
It remains to be seen when exactly the three 2015 coins will be making their way into general circulation next year, but we are already looking forward to finding them!
Today you can own the first coin in the Royal Mint’s commemorative First World War Centenary programme featuring Lord Kitchener’s iconic call to arms.
Click here to reserve your exclusive presentation pack!
Which new 2015 coin is your favourite? VOTE NOW…
The new coins for 2015 have been revealed by The Royal Mint, but what do you think about the designs? Vote for your favourite in our poll below.
2015 Battle of Britain 50p
- Battle of Britain 50p
Next year’s 50p commemorating the Battle of Britain features three men rushing to their grounded aircraft, while a multitude of aircraft swarm in the skies ahead. The designer Gary Breeze wanted to convey the sense of danger which was posed at the time, and drew from his Grandfather’s own experience of the German bombers.
2015 Magna Carta £2
- Magna Carta £2
John Bergdahl’s Magna Carta £2 design has a prominent medieval style and is very reminiscent of coins of that era. King John features at the centre, clutching the Magna Carta and a quill, with the anniversary and dates appearing around the outside.
2015 Royal Navy £2
- Royal Navy £2
The second design in the First World War £2 commemorative series focuses on the Royal Navy’s role. The reverse design for the new 2015 coin by David Rowlands features the imposing image of a battleship from the era approaching on the open sea.
- Waterloo £5
2015 Battle of Waterloo £5
The new Waterloo £5 features a design by David Lawrence depicting the relationship between Wellington and Blücher which proved to be so important to the eventual allied victory against Napoleon. In a very detailed and intricate design, both men are shaking hands while on horseback, with the scene of the famous battlefield in the background.
- Churchill £5
2015 Winston Churchill £5
Churchill’s death in 1965 led to him becoming the first person outside of the Royal Family to be honoured on a coin. That coin was the 1965 crown, and this new £5 coin 50 years on bears some similarities to the original design, with Churchill’s recognisable face featuring very prominently.
2015 will be a vintage year for UK coins and there are certainly some interesting themes being commemorated. But which of these five new designs is your favourite? Vote in our poll here;