Posts Tagged ‘Coin’
V for VICTORY! Brand new 50p coins issued by the Isle of Man to mark 75 years since VE Day
The 8th of May 2020 marks the 75th Anniversary of VE Day – the day which signified the end of World War II and brought long awaited peace to our nation, as Victory in Europe was declared.
The many years of destruction and lives lost finally came to an end on that momentous day, and millions from around the world took to the streets to celebrate.
This year, celebrations will reignite for the peace so bravely won, as events planned up and down the UK will commemorate 75 years since the guns fell silent.
And to mark such an historic anniversary, a brand new set of seven 50p coins has been authorised for release on the Isle of Man by Her Majesty the Queen.
This remarkable new Victory 50p Set pays tribute to our nation’s soldiers, sailors and airmen as they began their journey home 75 years ago following the Allied victory which swept across Europe.
Issued by the Isle of Man, each coin depicts a design and letter reflecting victory during this time, including:
V
The first coin features the letter V and depicts Churchill with his famous V for Victory stance. Excitingly, this is the first time Churchill has appeared on a 50p coin, although he has been honoured on no less then three UK crown coins.
I
The next coin features the letter I and shows citizens of the Isle of Man celebrating the end of WWII.
C
The letter C features on the third coin, which shows soldiers shaking hands in front of Trafalgar Square.
T
The next coin features the letter T and shows the HMS Dido Battleship returning home after the war.
O
This coin features the letter O and depicts Spitfires flying over St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
R
The next coin features the letter R and represents the street party celebrations that took place when it was announced the war was over.
Y
The final coin features the letter Y and depicts a moving scene showing a soldier returning home to his family.
Can I find these coins in my change?
Isle of Man 50ps are famously popular with collectors, especially as their mintage figures are so low, and these coins are no exception.
Initially 25,000 of each 50p will be entering circulation on the Isle of Man, so any British Isles collectors out there should keep their eyes out for these wonderful new coins.
Of course, British Isles coins do turn up in our UK change from time to time, despite the fact they are not legal tender in the UK, however I’m sure these coins will be quickly snapped up by Isle of Man collectors and so you’d have to be very lucky to come across one.
The best ways to own the Victory 50p Set
There are a number of ways to own the Victory 50p Set, which has been issued in Brilliant Uncirculated and Silver Proof quality.
The Brilliant Uncirculated coins are presented in a VE Day 75th Anniversary presentation pack – a must have for collectors of military commemoratives.
Just 2,020 Silver Proof Victory 50p Sets have been struck worldwide. The coins are struck to a Proof finish from .925 Silver with selective Gold Plating on each of the letters and come displayed in a luxury wooden case.
What’s more, this is the only way you can own all seven of these poignant 50p coins in collector quality. Only the Churchill ‘V’ for Victory coin will be released individually.
Churchill V for Victory 50p coin
You can also secure the Churchill V for Victory 50p coin individually in Brilliant Uncirculated, Silver Proof or Gold Proof quality.
With just 5,000 Churchill V for Victory Silver Proof 50p coins and only 250 of the Gold Proof coins, the strict edition limits really add to the collectability of these coins.
These 50ps really are a timeless tribute to the thousands of allied troops who fought tirelessly and sacrificed their lives to bring long awaited peace to our nation, and in this important anniversary year, they make for an incredibly poignant issue to commemorate 75 years since VE Day.
Secure your Victory 50p coins
Click here to find out more about the Victory 50p coins and add them to your collection >>
The Top 5 Coins of the Decade
I still can’t quite believe 2020 is here and we’re into a new decade! But what better excuse could there be to take a look back at some of our favourite coin releases from the past 10 years?
Along with new coins, the numismatic world as a whole seems to have expanded as a new generation of collectors have discovered the joy of this fantastic hobby.
There’s no denying we’ve seen some incredible coins released since 2010, but the Change Checker team have picked out our personal favourite TOP FIVE.
So without any further ado, here are the coins we believe to be the greatest of the past 10 years. Drum roll please...
1. The London Olympic and Paralympic 50ps
Issued to mark the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games hosted by London, this coin series played a huge part in transforming the 50p into the UK’s most collectable coin.
29 different 50p coin designs were released to commemorate the different sports and across the nation millions rose to the challenge of collecting them all.
The Royal Mint now estimates that as many as 75% of the Olympic 50p coins have been removed from circulation by collectors, which is a testament to their popularity.
It was certainly the Olympic 50p series that reawakened the nation’s love of coin collecting in the last decade, so we just had to include them at the top of our list!
2. The Beatrix Potter 50ps
Next up is a series which inspired a whole new generation of collectors, and for that reason it would be a crime not to include the Beatrix Potter 50p series on our list.
Just like me, I’m sure you’ll have fond childhood memories of reading the enchanting tales of Peter Rabbit and his friends as a child and this beautiful 50p series really does do justice to those memorable tales.
4 years, and 14 coins later, the Beatrix Potter 50p coins remain one of the public’s favourite ever collection of coins.
Since The Royal Mint released the first Beatrix Potter 50ps in 2016, these charming coins have created a collecting frenzy, becoming increasingly sought-after to this day.
I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that this is one of the stand-out coin series of all time, let alone the decade!
3. Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th Birthday £5
As a nation, we’ve celebrated Her Majesty the Queen’s landmark birthdays, jubilees and wedding anniversaries during her long and eventful reign.
Traditionally, the Queen’s birthday milestones are celebrated with £5 coins, as seen issued in both 1996 and 2006 to mark her 70th and 80th birthdays.
And so, this decade, when Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to celebrate their 90th Birthday, the release of this £5 coin in 2016 was particularly special and hugely significant for collectors around the world.
This was the only official UK £5 coin to mark this special occasion, designed by acclaimed artist Christopher Hobbs, who captured the Queen’s love of flowers, showing nine roses – one for each decade of the Queen’s life.
4. 2015 Britannia £2
Britannia has a long standing history with British coinage, having featured on a British coin in one way or another for more than 300 years.
In 2008 she was surprisingly dropped from the 50p, despite a Daily Mail campaign to save her. However in February 2015 it was announced that Antony Dufort’s modern interpretation of Britannia would be making a triumphant return to British circulating coins, replacing the definitive £2 “Technology” design which had featured on the coin since 1997.
This was a very popular move from The Royal Mint, but it wasn’t until the mintage figures were announced that the real surprise was unveiled…
Only 650,000 of the 2015 dated Britannia £2 coins had been stuck for circulation, making it one of the rarest UK £2 coins ever!
The rarity and numismatic significance of this coin as the UK’s new definitive £2 means it had to earn a spot on our Top Five list.
5. The A-Z of Great Britain 10ps
In 2018, The Royal Mint sparked huge excitement across the nation with the surprise release of 26 brand new 10p coin designs.
Each coin design was created to represent an image of what makes Britain British from A – Angel of the North, all the way to Z – Zebra Crossing, and collectors quickly fell in love with these unique coins.
Figures for 2018 confirm that 220,000 of each design entered circulation, meaning each design is almost as rare as the Kew Gardens 50p – the UK’s rarest coin in circulation!
A further 2.1 million A-Z 10ps were released in 2019 overall, meaning there really aren’t many to go around and many collectors are struggling to come across them in their change as they are being snapped up so quickly.
The A-Z 10ps really have been one of the biggest numismatic talking points of the decade and so they just had to be included on our list. Have you been lucky enough to find any?
Of course there have been so many other incredible releases in the past 10 years and narrowing it down to just five was a tough job, but we certainly feel that these coins have got to be highlights of the last decade.
Let us know which coins would make it into your Top Five 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
Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app
How much is my coin worth? January 2020 eBay Tracker update!
Good news Change Checkers – your latest eBay Tracker and Valuation Index is here!
Whilst the secondary market can be a bit of a minefield, we’ve put together an easy way for you to see how much the Top 10 UK coins and banknotes are selling for right now.
eBay Tracker
Find out which coins and notes have been the key movers and shakers in the updated eBay Tracker below.
Once again, the Kew Gardens 50p is on the rise, this time increasing in price on the secondary market by a staggering £18! This comes after an increase of £5 on the last eBay Tracker update.
The ongoing popularity of this rare coin is clear to see and appears to be continuing to build following the 2019 re-issue of the coin to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 50p.
But will we continue to see the price of this coin rise on the secondary market? Only time will tell and we’ll have to wait for the next eBay Tracker update to find out!
Other coins to keep an eye on are the Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2 which has increased in price by £10 since the last update and the Jemima Puddle-Duck 50p which has increased by £2.
However, the biggest riser on the eBay Tracker is the Olympic Football 50p which has increased by 107% to £15.50 on the secondary market – certainly not a bad return for a 50p coin!
As the rarest Olympic 50p in circulation, with a mintage of just 1,125,500, this coin has been on collector’s radars since the Olympic 50p series sparked a collecting frenzy in 2012.
And with the Tokyo Olympics approaching this year, are we likely to see these coins become even more popular with collectors in 2020?
Valuation Index
Overall there has been a 4% increase in value for the Top 10 UK coins and banknotes since June’s update and this is mostly due to the impressive spike in price for the Olympic football 50p.
My coin isn’t on the eBay Tracker
The eBay Tracker follows the movements of the Top 10 UK coins and banknotes, however if your coin doesn’t appear on the tracker you can use our 6 point guide to help determine realistic a value for your coin.
So now that you’re up to date with our latest eBay Tracker, will you be selling any of the coins in your collection or will you continue to save them? Let us know in the comments below.
How does the eBay Tracker work?
The Change Checker eBay Tracker takes the last 9 sold prices achieved on eBay and gives the median price achieved (rounded to the nearest 50p). By taking the median, rather than an average, we avoid skewing created by one or two excessive prices achieved.
Please note that the Change Checker eBay Tracker is only ever designed to be a guide as to prices achieved on eBay. Prices may vary depending on collector demand and the quality of the coin being sold. It does not provide any guarantee as to future values of coins.
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