Posts Tagged ‘numismatics’
UPDATED: The Change Checker Ebay Tracker
With more and more UK coins (and recently banknotes) being released and an ever increasing international interest in coin collecting, it can be difficult to keep track of how much the most sought-after coins are fetching on the secondary market.
In order to help you, we are delighted to share our UPDATED Change Checker eBay Tracker and Valuation Index for the Top 10 coins and banknotes!
After a small rise in value in January 2018 across the 10 tracked issues, it’s very interesting to see that there has now been a general decrease in prices,with only 2 of the top 10 seeing an increase in the price they have sold for. As you can see in the tracker below, the Jemima Puddle-duck 50p has had a significant effect on the overall value, effectively putting a cap on the maximum value able to be achieved currently.
The most surprising change to see between January and June 2018 is that the AA01 serial numbered £5 polymer bank notes are now selling for £14.50 – £4 higher than before. It would appear that the urge to get hold of one of these early printed notes is still very much present. Have you managed to get hold of one and if so, are you planning to sell it on?
The biggest decrease can be seen with the undated error 20p coins, seeing a £7 decrease from £53 to £46. As we know, up to 250,000 of these coins made it into circulation so it could be that more coins are being found now that more collectors know what to look for.
Undated 20p selling for £46
The undated 20p is regarded by many as the Holy Grail of change collecting, becoming the first coin in over 300 years to enter circulation without a date and I’m sure you’ll agree that £46 is still not a bad return for a 20p coin!
So even though we can see a general decrease in value between January and June, the overall value is still strong with the 8 tracked coins showing a 36x premium over face value!
Not surprisingly, the highly sought-after Kew Gardens 50p remains king, selling for £80.50, with some in good condition still selling for over £100! These coins are definitely worth keeping an eye out for.
Kew Gardens 50p still selling for £80.50
And due to the large amount of hype surrounding the new Paddington 50p coins, we expect them to become a potential top 10 contender in the near future. It’s a very exciting time to be a change checker, as we are sure that these coins will be extremely collectable.
Let us know in the comments below if you’ve managed to find one of these scarce coins in your change or if you’ve sold on any coins for more than face value.
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
Spot the difference! Variations in the 12 sided £1 explained
Since their introduction in 2017, a common query we get is people asking about variations in their 12 sided £1 coins.
Having read David Groom’s fascinating articles in Coin News Magazine, we’ve found the key facts which explain these variations, what to look for, and why they might have occurred.
We know that of the 1.75 billion 12 sided £1 coins struck for circulation between 2016 and 2022, roughly half a billion are dated 2016.
Of course, having such a high mintage figure must lead to varieties in design and quality of striking, however in the Coin News examination of just 40 randomly selected 12 sided £1 coins, an extraordinary number of varieties appeared…
Edges
Perhaps the most talked about variation with the 12 sided £1 is the milling on the edge of the coin, with ‘lefties’ being a common error in the milling process.
Obverses
Groom’s article suggested four clear variations can be found on the obverse of the coin, including the position of the design and text.
Reverses
Groom also highlighted the four clear features of difference on the reverses of the £1 coins.
Misalignment
One of the most common variations seems to be misalignment of the coins, particularly where the outer and inner sections do not align properly.
Dates
We’ve spoken before in our blog about the dual-dated £1 coins, with one such coin being valued at £3,000. Groom also mentions that many examples of the 2016 pound coin have the date numbers very poorly struck, making the date hard to read.
Royal Mint Trial Coins
Trial coins are issued when new coin specifications are being tested, but they should not enter circulation. These coins feature the words ‘The Royal Mint’ and ‘Trial Piece’.
Back in 2018, a 2015 dated trial 12-sided £1 coin sold on eBay for a whopping £500! However, looking at eBay listing in 2025, these coins are selling for much more reasonable prices, with the exception of a 2014 trial coin which sold for £235.
Whilst there are clearly a number of variations to be found in the 12 sided £1 coins, Coin News suggests that these may arise from off centre striking, or be due to the different characteristics from the two metals of the bimetallic coin.
Have you found an interesting variation in any 12-sided £1 coins you’ve found? Let us know in the comments!
– Credit ‘Up close, the new 12 sided £1 coin’ – David Groom, Coin News, April and May 2018
Find out more about your coins
If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use!
The UK’s most popular A-Z 10p coin revealed…
The new A-Z 10p coins have proved some of the hardest coins to find in your change. Whilst that will hopefully become easier as more are gradually released into circulation over the coming months, we’ve taken a first look at which are the most popular with collectors.
There’s not enough data yet to publish a full scarcity index but we have crunched the numbers based on Change Checker’s top swap requests – and here are the winners.
1. A – Angel of the North
2. E – English Breakfast
3. L – Loch Ness
The Top 3 coins most requested to swap.
Further releases expected…
Initially, a limited stock of 2.6 million A-Z 10p coins were released into circulation through the Post Office network to coincide with the release of the designs in March. It has been no surprise that these have been quickly snapped up by eagle-eyed change collectors.
However, don’t despair if you haven’t found any of the A-Z 10p coins yet. More are expected to be released into circulation as and when there is demand for more circulating 10p coins. This is something that’s managed between Treasury (and not the Royal Mint) and the large cash processors, including the Post Office, some banks, as well as private operators (find out more in our “When will I find and A to Z 10p in my change” blog).
In addition, there have been a number of limited releases, including “T” at Betty’s Tea Rooms, “F” in 20 of the UK’s top chippies and “B” at the Bond in Motion exhibition – as well as our own Change Checker Live 10p Lucky Dips, with more of our live events coming up on the 8th of September in Croydon and the 20th of October in Bristol.
Don’t worry, though, as soon as we hear any more news about more the A-Z 10p coins entering circulation, Change Checkers will be the very first to know.
In the meantime, you can view the full A-Z 10p Swap Index below for your guide as to which letters have proved most popular with collectors.
* Compiled from Change Checker App data and accurate as of 15/06/18.
Complete your A-Z 10p Collection
You can now complete your collection of all 26 A-Z of Great Britain 10p coins in Certified Early Strike quality.