Posts Tagged ‘Coins’
Do you own the rarest UK coins in circulation?
Earlier this year I made some charts about Britain’s rarest circulating coins. They proved really popular on our Facebook page, so I thought I’d bring them all together for you here in one blog post.
How many of these rare coins do you have in your collection?
There were only 485,500 Northern Ireland 2002 Commonwealth Games £2 coins minted, that’s just 0.1% of all the £2 coins ever struck to date!
The rarest £1 coin is the 2011 Edinburgh design. Could it be worth something one day?
Olympic 50ps have long been a favourite amongst collectors, but did you know there are only 1,125,500 Football fifty pence pieces? It’s definitely the rare one to look out for!
Last but definitely not least, the Kew Gardens 50p steals the show. Just 210,000 were struck and they made headlines earlier in the year when a handful reached a valuation of over £100 on eBay – surely making them some of Britain’s most valuable circulating coins (for now at least!)
So remember to keep checking your change – you just might own one of the UK’s rarest coins!
If you’ve found some of the coins mentioned in these charts, why not list them in your online collection at www.changechecker.org – you can even swap with your fellow Change Checkers to complete your collection!
And the winner is…
After much deliberation, our judges have finally come to an agreement on the overall winner of our #BritainInCoins photography competition.
And the winner is…
Congratulations to Ali Rao – the winner of our £1,000 cash prize!
Ali chose the Abolition of Slavery £2 coin for his entry. The judges were impressed by both the powerful and thought-provoking subject matter and the technical proficiency of the shot.
We can’t overstate how difficult the judges found the job of picking a winner. The number of entries and the quality of photographs far exceeded our expectations, and the final choice was very close to call.
A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who submitted an entry to our #BritainInCoins competition. We’ve kept them all so keep checking our Facebook page – you’ll receive an honourable mention if we use your photo in the future!
We also have 5 Royal Mint 2014 coin sets to give away to FIVE runners-up. They are, in no particular order:
Alex submitted a series of five individual photos representing the progression of technology from the iron age through the industrial revolution and into the digital age.
The competition even reached the middle East! Bethany sent us this entry with her Victoria Cross 50p pair all the way from Afghanistan.
Ian used the Forth Railway Bridge £1 coin as the inspiration for his entry. Unfortunately a familiar-looking tourist got in the shot!.
Claire used the DNA £2 as the subject of her entry, with a clever arrangement of pennies forming the double helix structure and a good use of lighting in her photograph
One of the most popular coins was the WWF 50p with all kinds of imaginative nature-themed photographs being submitted. Our judges felt this entry from Heather was the pick of the bunch.
Could this be the last ever Scottish 50p?
Could this be the last Scottish 50p?
Scotland has long enjoyed good representation on UK currency, especially on the commemorative coins of the last 30 years.
But with the vote for Scottish independence looming, could this be the end for Scottish themes on coins used across the whole of Britain?
If so, the 50p just issued to mark the Glasgow Commonwealth Games would become the last ever Scottish 50p issued whilst the Union is still intact.
Firsts and lasts
Collectors know that ‘firsts’ and ‘lasts’ are often the most sought after issues. Sometimes this only becomes apparent in the years following the event – when the true importance of the coin is revealed.
With this in mind, the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games 50p could be one of the most unintentionally important issues of the early 21st century.
You have to go back to 1707 to find the last pre-Union coins, struck during the reign of Queen Anne. These are now some of the most collectable issues of her reign, and usually the preserve of serious collections only.
So if you happen to be the owner of one of these 50ps, only time will tell how important it could become – regardless it’s a coin with a story of genuine national importance, and one that should definitely be considered for your collection.
If you are interested…
- DateStamp(TM) UK Commonwealth Games 50p
Our friends at The Westminster Collection have a small number of these 50ps remaining from their Commonwealth Games commemorative range.
They are encapsulated and postmarked on the day of the closing ceremony, making them particularly limited. Click here for more information.