Posts Tagged ‘Coin Collector’
The latest Isle of Man TT £2 coin hits the tracks!
The Isle of Man TT races, an annual tradition since 1907, return again this year. Riders and spectators from around the world will travel to the island for what’s been nicknamed ‘the most dangerous race in the world’.
It’s become somewhat of a tradition for the Isle of Man to issue coins to commemorate the TT races each year, with 2024 being no exception…
Add the 2024 Isle of Man TT £2 to your collection for just £12.99 (+p&p) >>
A winning design
This year, the Isle of Man TT £2 coin highlights Creg-ny-Baa – the infamous corner from the TT race course. The reverse design, by Glyn Davies, features a daring motorcyclist riding around Creg-ny-Baa.
This famous corner is home to the Creg-ny-Baa pub, which sits beside a grandstand that overlooks the race course, both of which also feature on the coin.
Since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, Isle of Man coinage now features King Charles III on the obverse. Of course, the Official British Isles King Charles III effigy was also designed by Glyn Davies – meaning he’s responsible for both sides of this coin!
Did you know? Creg-ny-Baa translates to ‘rock of the cow’ in English, probably originating from a rock where cows scratched themselves.
Entering circulation
Previous Isle of Man TT coins have always been popular with both collectors and motor enthusiasts. This is due to their small mintages compared to their UK counterparts and the fact that they sometimes crop up in UK coinage. Although Isle of Man coins aren’t legal tender in the UK, there is a chance you could spot one in your change.
And excitingly, just 7,500 2024 Isle of Man TT £2 coins will enter circulation on the island. That’s half the circulating mintage of the 2023 Isle of Man TT £2!
So make sure you don’t miss out and add it to your collection in Brilliant Uncirculated quality >>
Numismatic history of the TT races
The first Isle of Man TT coin was a 50p issued in 1981, and a new TT coin has been released most years since. The TT 50ps, along with other denominations have proved incredibly popular amongst collectors and motoring enthusiasts alike, with some selling for over £700 on eBay!
Here are a few of our favourite Isle of Man TT coins.
2023
An Isle of Man TT £2 was issued in 2023 to mark the centenary of the Sidecar race being introduced to the TT races. This meant both racer and passenger could take part in the ‘Ultimate Road Race’. The design shows an incredibly detailed depiction of the Sidecar riding through Parliament Square on the Isle of Man.
15,000 of these coins entered circulation on the Isle of Man, meaning collectors and the general public had the chance to find one in their change! But there were many who couldn’t wait to get their hands on the 2023 Isle of Man TT £2 and our initial allocation sold out in just 24 hours!
2022
After a 2 year break due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, the TT races returned in 2022 and two new £2 coins were issued to celebrate.
One of the coins featured the iconic TT Grandstand which marks the start and end of the race. The other represented the TT race marshals, most of whom are usually volunteers or motorsports enthusiasts.
A Crown coin was also issued in celebration of the event. It featured the official TT logo in front of the race route map and a chequered flag background.
2019
In 2019, the Isle of Man released two £2 coins marking 112 years since the first TT race in 1907.
The reverse designs features legendary rider, Steve Hislop, racing the Tourist Trophy track.
Steve ‘Hizzy’ Hislop is an 11 time winner of the notorious Tourist Trophy races. His extraordinary racing career has cemented him as a hero of the TT mountain circuit.
2018
These coins were issued in 2018 to celebrate racing legend Mike Hailwood. 2018 marked 60 years since his first TT race and 40 years since his triumphant return.
Just 3,000 of each coin entered circulation on the Isle of Man and we saw unprecedented demand from collectors looking to add the coins to their British Isles collection.
1998
Another famous race that takes place annually on the island, is the Rally Isle of Man.
The Rally Isle of Man – previously known as The Manx Trophy Rally – was first held in 1963 and became a well known event in the British Open Rally Championship.
In 1998, the Isle of Man released the Isle of Man Car Circulation £2 coin featuring three old-style race cars on the track.
1981
The first Isle of Man TT 50p issued in 1981 features famous motorcyclist Joey Dunlop.
Only 5,000 coins of this design were struck. Were you lucky enough to find this in your change on the Isle of Man? Let us know in the comments below!
Do you have any Isle of Man TT races coins in your collection? Let us know in the comments below!
Secure your 2024 Isle of Man TT £2
Secure your 2024 Isle of Man TT £2 for just £12.50 (+p&p) >>
Continue your Isle of Man collection
To celebrate 120 years since the FIRST EVER Manx Motor Race, a new set of five Isle of Man 50ps has also been issued, featuring five motor racing firsts.
Secure your History of Motor Racing BU Isle of Man 50p Set for just £37.50 (+p&p) >>
UK 50p commemorates the 80th Anniversary of D-Day
2024 marks 80 years since the day that turned the tide of the Second World War, and in commemoration, a UK 50p has been released to honour the D-Day landings.
Add the 2024 UK Day-Day 50p to your collection >>
A momentous day
On 6th June 1944, 156,000 Allied troops arrived in Normandy by land, sea and air to launch their assault on Nazi-occupied France. Codenamed Operation Neptune but commonly referred to as D-Day, it was the largest seaborne invasion in history.
Image Credit: SHAEF [Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces] Public Relations Division., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
With this year marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day, these events will soon move beyond living memory, so it’s now more important than ever to commemorate this incredibly poignant day in history.
“We shall fight on the beaches”
The design of the 2024 D-Day 50p, created by renowned sculptor David Lawrence in collaboration with Imperial War Museums, depicts brave Allied troops risking their lives on that fateful day. In the foreground, soldiers disembark a landing craft onto the beaches whilst planes fly overhead approaching by air.
The landings took place at five assault beaches along a 50 mile stretch of the Normandy coast, they were given the codenames Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword – all of which are inscribed along the bottom of the design.
Recreated in sand
To celebrate the unveiling of the 2024 UK D-Day 50p, the coin’s design was recreated in the sand on Gold beach in Normandy. The sand art measured 35 metres across and took more than 5 hours to create!
Image credit: The Royal Mint
French sand artist Jehan-Benjamin Tarain worked with fellow artist Sam Dougados to create the piece. Tarain said that is was ‘extremely special’ to be part of a project that “plays an important reminder of the united allied effort between French and British forces 80 years ago”.
Previous UK D-Day coins
This isn’t the first time that D-Day has been commemorated on a UK coin…
Most recently, the 2019 D-Day £2 coin was issued to mark 75 years since the landings. It featured a design by renowned Royal Mint engraver, Stephen Taylor, showing 5 arrows, each pointing across the English Channel to one of the Normandy beaches. Although this coin didn’t enter circulation, it was extremely popular with collectors.
A £2 coin that did enter circulation is the 2005 60th Anniversary of the end of World War Two £2, which was issued to mark 60 years since Winston Churchill announced VE Day – marking the end of World War Two. The reverse design features a depiction of St Paul’s Cathedral which survived the Blitz to become a great symbol of hope to a war-torn nation. The edge inscription reads – IN VICTORY: MAGNANIMITY, IN PEACE: GOODWILL – part of the famous maxim that prefaces Churchill’s history of the Second World War.
The 1994 D-Day 50p was issued to mark the 50th anniversary of the Normandy Landings. This coin was originally issued in the larger 50p specification, meaning you’re no longer able to find it in your change. It was later re-issued in 2019 in the smaller 50p specification, however this version didn’t enter circulation.
Interestingly, the 1994 D-Day 50p was voted the all time favourite 50p coin by Change Checkers, so I’m sure the 2024 D-Day 50p will prove just as popular with collectors.
Secure the 2024 UK D-Day 50p
As this will likely be the last milestone anniversary of D-Day to be observed by those who served, it’s hugely important to commemorate this moment in history.
Add the 2024 UK D-Day 50p to your collection for just £8.99 (+p&p) >>
Just how rare are your coins? Your latest Scarcity Index Update!
It’s time for your latest Scarcity Index update – your chance to discover the UK’s most sought-after circulation 10p, 50p, and £2 coins of the last three months!
Our Scarcity Index uses data from the Change Checker Swap Centre to determine just how scarce and sought-after your coins are. The information is 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 update.
50p Scarcity Index
The top and bottom of the 50p index has remained fairly stable, with the Kew Gardens 50p remaining in the top spot, but despite this, there have been some big changes in this latest update…
Moving up the ranks are some of the Olympic 50ps, including Shooting, Cycling and Boccia which have all climbed significantly. These big jumps up mean that others have to shuffle down the index, and we can see that a fair few 50ps have moved down just 1 or 2 places.
Also making their way down the index are the 50 Years of Pride 50p, the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 50p and the Battle of Britain 50p.
Interestingly, we came across all 3 of these coins in our latest 50p coin hunt, watch it here >>
If you’re new to collecting and want to find out more about circulation coins, you can check out our fact files here >>
Otherwise, keep reading to find out which 10ps and £2 coins you should be looking out for.
10p Scarcity Index
The A-Z 10ps seem to be some of the hardest commemorative coins to find in circulation, not surprising when you consider a maximum of JUST 304,000 of each A-Z 10p design entered circulation across 2018 and 2019.
It’s thought that a large percentage of these 10ps have been snapped up by collectors, leaving a limited amount still in circulation, but it is still possible to find them!
One to keep your eye on is the NHS 10p which has shot up 20 places to 5th place, and the Houses of Parliament 10p which has climbed 12 places.
A few less fortunate coins are the King Arthur 10p which has fallen 10 places and the Ice Cream 10p which has dropped 8 places. The X Marks the Spot 10p remains at the bottom of the index, but it’s worth remembering that this Index only ranks the 10ps against each other, so even the ones at the bottom of the list are still incredibly sought-after.
£2 Scarcity Index
We usually see less movement on the £2 index due to the fact that less coins have entered circulation in recent years, however this time, there have been some big movers.
The £2 index usually remains fairly stable as we’ve not had a £2 coin enter circulation since 2016, however this time we have seen a fair bit of movement!
Of course, remaining at the top of the Index is the 2002 Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2. With a mintage figure of just 458,000, it’s one of the rarest and clearly still one of the most popular £2 coin designs, even 22 years after entering circulation!
The Guinea £2 climbed an impressive 19 places and the Brunel Portrait £2 moved up 9 places.
Some other big movers are the Wireless Transmission £2 and the Florence Nightingale £2 which have both fallen by 10 places and the Steam Locomotive £2 which has dropped 14 places.
How your Scarcity Index works
Generally, collectors have relied on 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.
What’s more, some designs are more hoarded than others by people who might not normally collect coins – for example the First World War £2 Coin series.
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. This allows Change Checkers to track the relative performance of the UK’s circulation coins.
How much are my coins worth?
The Scarcity Index doesn’t necessarily equate to value, but it is certainly a good indicator. For example, the Kew Gardens 50p coin commands a premium of up to 200 times face value on eBay and is unsurprisingly top of the 50p Index.
You can use our 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. Because they are no longer being issued, this is now set in stone.
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