Posts Tagged ‘Olympic 50p’
How much are your coins worth? June 2023 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 in our latest eBay Tracker update.
After a spike in selling prices in our last update in January 2023, most likely due to the new King Charles III coins, things are starting to level out again. Although there has been an overall decrease in prices, there are still some noteworthy changes since our previous update.
Olympic Football 50p
The coin that’s seen the biggest increase is the Olympic Football 50p. The Olympic 50ps have long been favourites amongst collectors, but did you know that only 1,125,500 Football fifty pence pieces entered circulation? It’s definitely the rarest Olympic 50p to look out for and tops our chart as having the smallest mintage figure, which means it is even harder to find than the other Olympic 50ps.

With a design explaining the hotly debated offside rule, it definitely sparked discussion among collectors and football fans alike.
Kew Gardens 50p
Released by The Royal Mint in 2009 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, the striking design of this 50p, by Christopher Le Brun RA, features the famous Chinese Pagoda at Kew, entwined by a decorative leafy climber.

In 2014, The Royal Mint revealed that only 210,000 Kew Gardens 50p coins had been struck, making it the scarcest UK coin in circulation. And nearly 10 years later, people are still willing to pay hefty sums to get their hands on one. Some have sold on the secondary market for nearly £200!

Valuation Index

Since coins bearing King Charles III’s effigy began circulating, collectors have been keen to complete their Queen Elizabeth II collections.
This is reflected in the coins and bank notes being sold on the secondary market, some still selling for several times their face value.
Undated 20p
Considered by some the holy grail of change collecting, the undated 20p is being snapped up for a pretty penny recently.

These illusive coins have sold on the secondary market for more than 25 times their value! It’s not known how many are in circulation, but most serious collectors have it on their wish lists.
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 the realistic value for your coin.
How does the eBay Tracker work?
The Change Checker eBay Tracker takes the last 9 sold prices on eBay and gives the median price achieved (rounded to the nearest 50p). By taking the median, rather than an average, we avoid skewing figures with one or two excessive prices.
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
Share, learn & swap with the Change Checker Community
Join the only official Change Checker Facebook group today >>
The Top 5 50p Coin Series and why you should be collecting them
Since the 50p coin was first introduced back in 1969, we’ve seen it change size, weight and obverse monarch. It’s become the go-to denomination for some fantastic series, but which 50p series are the most popular?
Here are Change Checker’s top 5 50p coin series that you need in your collection.
5. Paddington 50ps
Starting with Britain’s best loved bear, Paddington. This 50p series began in 2018 with the issue of two brand new coins entering circulation. Celebrating the 60th anniversary of Paddington’s first book appearance, these two coins show Paddington outside Buckingham Palace and at Paddington Station.

The series was so popular that in 2019, a further two Paddington 50ps were issued. This time showing the marmalade loving bear tucking into his favourite snack outside the Tower of London and tipping his hat at St Paul’s Cathedral.

These coins are some of the most popular issues in the last five years and with designs as charming as this, you can understand why.
4. Winnie the Pooh 50ps
Next up, we’ve got another adorable bear, Winnie the Pooh, who first appeared on a UK 50p in 2020. This was the first 50p in a nine coin series celebrating 95 years of fun filled adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood.
These coins feature famous characters from the stories, such as Owl, Kanga & Roo, Piglet and Pooh himself. Despite not entering circulation, these coins have been in high demand, with some limited edition presentations selling out at The Royal Mint within just hours of release. But don’t worry if you missed out, you can browse Change Checker’s remaining Winnie the Pooh stock here >>
3. Innovation in Science Series
Now, cast your mind back to 2019 when The Royal Mint released the first coin their Innovation in Science Series, the Stephen Hawking 50p. It was a record breaking sell out success, with worldwide interest and news articles across the globe about this new coin.

The Stephen Hawking 50p was so popular that even her late majesty Queen Elizabeth II commented that it was one of her favourite coin designs.
It kick started a hugely popular coin series which later brought us the Insulin 50p, Alan Turing 50p, and Rosalind Franklin 50p, to name just a few.
2. Beatrix Potter 50ps
In second place, we’ve got the incredibly popular Beatrix Potter 50ps. The first 50p, issued in 2016, featuring a charming design of Peter Rabbit inspired a whole new generation of collectors, appealing to children, their parents and grandparents.
The 2018 Flopsy Bunny and Peter Rabbit 50ps each had mintage figures of only 1.4 million, making them some of the rarest 50ps in circulation. The Beatrix Potter coins are some of the most collectable 50ps, so whichever ones you have in your collection, you should be very pleased.

1. 2012 Olympic 50ps
In the top spot, the most popular 50p series of all time is the 2012 Olympic 50ps. This series was issued to celebrate the games being hosted in London in 2012. All 29 of the 2012 Olympic 50ps entered circulation, and they’re some of the rarest 50ps out there.

The football 50p, which features a design of the hotly debated offside rule, has a circulating mintage of just 1.125 million. This makes it the second rarest 50p currently in circulation.

Five years ago, it was estimated that over 75% of the Olympic 50p coins were removed from circulation into private collections, meaning even less are now out there to find.
Are you lucky enough to have any of these popular 50ps in your collection? Let us know in the comments!
Guarantee all new UK coins for you collection

Join the Change Checker UK CERTIFIED BU Subscription Service and receive the very latest UK coins sent to you door without the hassle of placing orders on the day of release!
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…

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?
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.
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!