Posts Tagged ‘Coin collection’
Which 50p Coin Series are worth collecting?
Do you collect 50p coins? Perhaps you keep hold of commemorative 50ps you find in your change, or maybe you’ve built up a collection of brilliant uncirculated coins…
Whether you’re new to the hobby or you’re a seasoned collector, you might not know that some of your coins are part of a series – but which 50p series are worth collecting?
Olympic 50ps
Let’s kick off with perhaps the best known 50p coin series – the Olympic 50ps!
Back in 2011, to mark the 2012 Olympics being held in London, The Royal Mint issued 29 new 50p coins, each representing a different sport. With 29 new commemorative coin designs to look out for in circulation, the Olympic 50ps sparked many people’s interest in collecting coins.
Even now, 13 years on, 2011 holds the record for the most commemorative coin designs to enter circulation (30 designs in total including the WWF 50p released the same year).
It’s estimated that 75% of Olympic 50ps have been removed from circulation by collectors, but by checking your change and swapping with other collectors, it’s still possible to collect the complete set.
Find out more about the Olympic 50ps >>
Paddington 50ps
Another coin series that inspired many younger collectors is the Paddington 50p series. With 2 coins released in 2018 and a further 2 in 2019, this collection of 4 coins shows the beloved bear in front of some of London’s most iconic landmarks.
The first 2 coins were issued to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Paddington’s first appearance in Michael Bond’s classic childhood tale, with the first showing Paddington sat at his namesake train station.
He continued his adventures around London, visiting Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral.
The 2018 Paddington at the Station 50p has the lowest mintage figure of the series, with only 5,001,000 in circulation, however it still ranks as common on our Scarcity Index.
Have you ever found any Paddington 50ps in your change? Let us know in the comments!
Are you missing any Paddington 50ps? Check out our Paddington range >>
Beatrix Potter 50ps
Thirteen Beatrix Potter 50ps were issued between 2016 and 2018, each featuring beloved characters from Potter’s enchanting tales. All of these coins entered circulation, however a further 2 Peter Rabbit 50ps were issued in 2019 and 2020 which did not enter circulation.
These coins caused a collecting frenzy in back in 2016 due to their unique theme, and were probably the most talked-about coins since the 2011 Olympic 50ps!
A lot of the Beatrix Potter 50ps will have been snapped up into collections by now, but it is still possible to find them in circulation – although you might be searching a while for the whole set!
Based solely on circulating mintage figures, the rarest Beatrix Potter 50ps are the Flopsy Bunny 50p and the 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p, each with a mintage figure of just 1,400,000.
The most common coin in the series is the Benjamin Bunny 50p, which has a circulating mintage of 25,000,000. Aside from the 1973 European Economic Community 50p which had a mintage of 89,775,000, the Benjamin Bunny 50p has the highest commemorative 50p mintage figure, so you’ve probably come across one in your change at some point!
If you’re struggling to complete your collection, check out our Beatrix Potter range >>
Winnie the Pooh 50ps
In 2020, The Royal Mint announced a 9-coin 50p collection celebrating Winnie the Pooh and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood.
The designs were produced by The Walt Disney Company, featuring original illustrations from A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh storybooks by E.H. Shepard.
The very first coin in the series, featuring Pooh sat beside an overturned pot of honey, was the first time that Winnie the Pooh had ever featured on a UK coin. It was so popular in fact, that all 18,000 silver proof 50p coins sold out in less than 12 hours! The excitement for this series didn’t stop there though, as the silver proof 2022 Eeyore 50p also sold out within just hours of issue at The Royal Mint.
Although the Winnie the Pooh 50ps didn’t enter circulation, they are still incredibly popular with collectors. Some people have even paid well over retail price for them on eBay to complete their collections.
If you have any gaps in your Winnie the Pooh 50p collection, check out which ones we still have available >>
The Snowman™ 50ps
The Snowman™ first appeared on a UK 50p back in 2018 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Raymond Briggs’ much-loved festive tale. Since then, there has been a new UK The Snowman™ 50p issued each year, and there are now 6 in the series.
Over the years, we’ve been treated to some of the most iconic scenes on our coins, taken from the original tale and even the 2012 film – The Snowman™ and The Snowdog™.
The Snowman™ has been seen sharing adventures with his friend, James, flying through the night sky, dancing under the northern lights and even cuddling up with The Snowdog™!
It’s become somewhat of a festive tradition for a new UK The Snowman™ 50p to be issued each year, and it just doesn’t feel like Christmas until it’s released.
Fill the gaps in your The Snowman™ 50p collection >>
Do you think there will be more The Snowman™ 50ps issued in years to come? Let us know below!
Which 50p series is your favourite?
Do you have any of these coins in your collection? Perhaps you’re lucky enough to have a complete set! We’d love to hear from you which 50p series is your favourite, so let us know in the comments below.
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
The Isle of Man’s big move to phase out little coins
The Isle of Man have shared some big news about their copper coinage, and it’s causing quite a stir in the collecting community. They have confirmed that the phasing out of 1p and 2p coins will begin this year, meaning the days might be numbered for copper coins.
Why the change?
Following a consultation in 2023 by the Manx government about whether it should keep copper coins, residents responded with “no thanks”. With a population of only 84,000, many young people on the island said they don’t carry cash at all, and most rely entirely on cards or contactless payments. The pandemic also forced islanders to adapt to card payments.
Credit: Kamran.nef, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rising costs of minting new coins, especially coppers, means that making a new 1p coin now costs more than a 1p coin is worth. It’s not just the coppers either, as its estimated that a new 5p coin costs around 20p to make.
Taking these factors into consideration, the Isle of Man has encouraged businesses to introduce ‘cash rounding’ as the first phase.
What is cash rounding?
Cash rounding is the practice of rounding prices to the nearest five or zero, eliminating the need for 1p and 2p coins.
Cash rounding has been used in Sweden since the 1970s and was also adopted by Canada, New Zealand and the Republic of Ireland.
Credit: Zannaoriordan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Credit: Jennifer McNairMuseums Victoria, via Wikimedia Commons
Copper coins will remain legal tender on the island, and won’t be withdrawn from circulation, but no more will be minted.
Let’s hear from the Isle of Man
After the cash rounding initiative was announced, there were concerns from the public about inflation. However, businesses were quick to claim that, based on research from other countries, this would not be a problem.
The Isle of Man’s treasury minister, Dr Alex Allinson MHK, said: “Most businesses here didn’t think it would cause significant inflation. But certainly the public perception is that it would do.”
He also stated that: “If the UK were to get rid of coppers, we would probably follow suit”.
No new coppers have been minted by the Isle of Man since 2016 due to decreased demand, and even the most recent decimal coin set, the 2023 Manx Wildlife Set, didn’t feature 1p or 2p denominations – so the phasing out process has been inevitable for a while.
What about the UK?
The number of cash payments in the UK has reduced significantly in the last 10 years, and especially so since the pandemic.
According to The Royal Mint, no new 2p coins were minted in 2022 and no new pennies were minted in either 2018 or 2019. This is an indication of decreasing demand for small change, even in the UK, so it’s not surprising that the Isle of Man, with a much smaller population, would be one of the first places to implement the phasing out of coppers.
Find out more about the future of 1p and 2p coins in the UK >>
A Treasury spokesperson confirmed that there are currently no plans to change the denominational mix of coins in the UK. So if the Isle of Man is waiting to follow our lead on getting rid of coppers, it’s unlikely that any definitive changes will happen anytime soon.
What do you think about copper coins? Do you still use the 1ps and 2ps in your change? Let us know in the comments!
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
Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app
How well do you know 007? Take our James Bond quiz!
We’ve been inspired by the new Six Decades of Bond Films £5 series to see how much we really know about the nation’s favourite secret agent…
So, do you consider yourself a Bond buff? Or perhaps you’re a film fanatic with a penchant for spy films?
Take our quiz to test your knowledge!
Find out more about the Six Decades of Bond Films £5 series
