Is your spare change worth £500? Ebay Tracker reveals most valuable UK coins and banknotes

Could the spare change hiding down the back of your sofa be worth nearly £500?

Change Checker’s Ebay Tracker reveals the UK’s most valuable coins and banknotes, including the rarest 50p in circulation – the Kew Gardens.

King Charles III 50p, Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2, and Kew Gardens 50p - your spare change could be worth £500

This latest update reveals the highest basket value since the eBay Tracker began in 2017.

eBay Tracker reveals spare change could be worth £490

Is your spare change worth £500? Discover more on Change Checker's Valuation Index
Change Checker Valuation Index

We’ve seen the demand for coins surge since the sad passing of the Queen.

Collectors are rushing to fill the gaps in their Queen Elizabeth II coin collections and they’re definitely not wasting time in getting hold of the first coins King Charles III coins.

And it seems they’re prepared to part with a fair bit of money to get their hands on certain coins and banknotes…

Change Checker eBay Tracker listing UK’s most sought-after coins and banknotes.

In fact, if you’ve got all these coins in your collection, you could be sitting on £493! That’s a great rainy day deposit.

The biggest money-maker is of course the Kew Gardens 50p – currently selling for around £167 on eBay.

The Kew Gardens 50p - one of the most valuable coins in the Change Checker eBay Tracker.
Is your spare change worth £500? Use the Change Checker Ebay Tracker to discover more.
Kew Gardens 50p – the rarest circulating UK 50p.

It’s also worth keeping an eye out for a polymer £10 banknote with the serial number ‘AA01‘. These notes are currently selling for around £25!

And, the King Charles III 50p is already causing a flurry in the collecting world, as it’s fetching over FIVE times its face value! So, if you haven’t already, get checking your change for this 50p.

King Charles III 50p - recently issued in circulation and currently fetches £2.50 on secondary market site eBay.
Is your spare change worth £500? Use the Change Checker Ebay Tracker to discover more.
King Charles III 50p – recently issued in circulation and currently fetches £2.50 on secondary market site eBay.

So, how much is your spare change worth?

To discover more about the most valuable coins in circulation, continue reading here >>

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Vote for your all-time favourite circulating QEII 50p

As the Pride 50p marks the last UK coin to enter circulation with QEII’s portrait on the obverse, we asked you to vote for your top circulating QEII 50p!

King Charles III’s new coinage will begin circulating from December – starting with the brand new Queen Elizabeth II Memorial 50p. So, it’s the perfect time to look back at an astonishing 70 years of top QEII 50p issues.

From the UK’s rarest 50p (Kew Gardens), to the biggest range of sporting coins (Olympic 50ps), it’s understandably a hard task to pick a favourite.

Your top circulating QEII 50p!

The results are in! Your top circulating QEII 50p is…

Top 5 Circulating Queen Elizabeth II 50p coin. Ranked from 1st to 5th
Isaac Newton
WWF
Kew Gardens
D-Day
Platinum Jubilee
Top 5 Circulating Queen Elizabeth II 50p coin.

2017 Sir Isaac Newton 50p

Issued in 2017, this coin has a mintage of just 1,801,500, ranking it as less common on our Scarcity Index.

The reverse of this striking coin is based on elements of Proposition 11, in Book One of Newton’s Principia Mathematica.

P.S. did you know Newton is one of the most famous figures to ever hold the role of Master of the Mint?

Get your hands on this coin >>

2011 WWF 50p

Coming in very close second, is the WWF 50p.

The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) is the largest conservation organisation in the world.

They focus their work on saving endangered species and conserving the world’s most precious natural places.

In 2011, to mark their 50th anniversary, The Royal Mint issued this 50p coin.

It features 50 different icons to represent the variety of work they’re involved with.

2009 Kew Gardens 50p

In third spot, is the UK’s rarest 50p coin, the Kew Gardens.

Just 210,000 of these 50ps entered circulation, and over 13 years later, it’s still one of the most sought-after coins EVER.

It repeatedly takes top spot on our Scarcity Index, with collectors keen to add it to their collection.

However, it’s important to know the difference between a real, fake, or re-issued Kew Gardens.

Find out on our blog >>


Get the First King Charles III Effigy Collecting Pack

9.6 million King Charles 50ps are set to enter circulation. So, collectors stand a very good chance of getting their hands on this new release.

Once you’ve found this coin in your change you can add it to the pack, creating the perfect pair of KCIII first effigy coins!

Secure your Change Checker King Charles III First Effigy Collecting Pack here >>

So, get ready to start your hunt for the new 50p in your change!

Rare Trial Pieces including Kew Gardens 50p to be Auctioned for the First Time Ever!

Have you heard the news that for the first time in its history, The Royal Mint plan to auction rare sample coins for collectors?

Trial pieces are some of the very first samples of a new coin to be struck. They are used to set the standard for each coin issued and are carefully inspected by coin makers to ensure they meet the correct standards before striking of the new design begins.

Trial Coins Put Up For Auction

Rebecca Morgan, director of collector services at the Royal Mint, said: “This month we are delighted to offer a sample of our trial pieces at auction for the first time. Each of the trial pieces has played an integral role in creating the final coin, and offer collectors the chance to own a part of numismatic history.”

The Royal Mint have announced that collectors will have the chance to get their hands on a number of trail pieces at auction on Sunday 26th September.

Included in the auction are the coveted Kew Gardens 50p (the UK’s rarest circulation coin) and the Three Graces (a collection that sold out in 25 minutes last December).

Rare Kew Gardens 50p

2009 Kew Gardens 50p

Considered the ‘holy grail’ of change collecting, the Kew Gardens 50p tops the Change Checker Scarcity Index time and again. In fact, this coin is so sought-after that collectors are willing to pay well over face value to get their hands on one, with our latest eBay Tracker revealing the coin currently selling for £157 on the secondary market!

However, we always urge buyer caution when purchasing a Kew Gardens 50p, as there are a number of fakes out there to be aware of. Find out how you can spot the fake Kew Gardens 50ps here.

1994 Mayflower £2 Trail Piece

1994 Mayflower Trial £2

Rare trial pieces have been seen before, often becoming very sought-after amongst collectors…

In 1994, ahead of the introduction of the UK’s first bi-metallic coin – the £2 – The Royal Mint created a trial piece. This was used by The Royal Mint to test the minting process of the new coin and to help the automatic vending industry re-calibrate their machines in preparation.

The trialled reverse design features a three-masted sailing ship. Although the ship is not named, it is likely to be the Mayflower, which set sail from Plymouth to America to establish the first permanent New-England colony. The outer ring bears the inscription Royal Mint Trial with the date, 1994.

There were just over 4,500 packs of this trial £2 issued and as the coin design was never released into circulation, it has become an incredibly rare example of a bi-metallic £2 coin.

If you own one of these £2 trial pieces you can consider yourself very lucky!

But with the upcoming auction set for the 26th September, we’re sure collectors will be excited at the chance of getting their hands on the trial piece coins offered by The Royal Mint, including that sought-after Kew Gardens 50p which we’re sure will be incredibly popular.


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