Change all round! Your Scarcity Index Update…

It’s time for your latest Scarcity Index update, where we reveal the UK’s most sought-after circulation coins of the last three months! As we continue to go out and spend more cash, we’ve seen some BIG movers and shakers on our Scarcity Index.

There’s been movement across all of our indexes, with one coin climbing 16 spots and another dropping by 14!

You can use the updated A-Z 10p, 50p and £2 indexes below to discover how sought-after the coins in your collection really are.

This information has been compiled using data from the Change Checker Swap Centre and presented in the easy to use indexes below, with arrows to signify how many places up or down a coin has moved since the last Scarcity Index.

A-Z 10p Scarcity Index

10p Scarcity Index

The Union Jack 10p has jumped up an incredible 16 places on our 10p index this quarter, placing it the highest we’ve ever seen it!

Some other big movers include the Villages and ‘X’ Marks the Spot 10p coins, both climbing 12 places each. The Jubilee 10p has dropped by 14 places, pushing it towards the bottom of our Index.

All of the lower mintage A-Z 10ps have remained strong at the top of the index; the Y, Z, and W 10ps all have a 2019 mintage of JUST 63,000 so it would take some doing to beat them to the top…

Regardless of where they feature in the above index, if you have any of the A-Z 10ps in your collection you should consider yourself very lucky. A maximum of only 304,000 of each design entered circulation!

Find out which A-Z 10p coins have the lowest mintages here >>

50p Scarcity Index

50p Scarcity Index

There’s been a lot of movement at the top of our 50p Index, with each Olympic 50p have been shaken up! The Table Tennis 50p has climbed by seven spots, and Gymnastics climbing an impressive five spots too.

In the middle of our Index, we’ve seen a big move for Taekwondo, dropping eight places. Equally, the Commonwealth Games 50p has climbed by six places, pushing it further into the middle of our Index.

The 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p has climbed by an incredible 13 places, which is the biggest move we’ve seen for this coin since our Index started. The Libraries 50p has also dropped by 13 places, pushing it down to the bottom of our Index. These two coins are definitely worth watching over our coming Index updates.

£2 Scarcity Index

£2 Scarcity Index

This £2 Index is full of movers and shakers, as only 8 coins have stayed in the same spot from last quarter’s update!

Some key movers at the top of the Index, include the Commonwealth Games Wales £2, which has previously sat comfortably in the top five. It’s been bumped down three places, with the 2015 First World War (Navy) coin jumping up 4 spots to position itself just below the other Commonwealth Games and Olympic £2 coins.

Other notable moves include the Florence Nightingale and Brunel – Paddington Station coins, which have climbed seven and five spots respectfully.

Interestingly, the Britannia £2 has also climbed by five places, pushing it closer to the top of the Index. This is definitely one to watch over the coming updates!

How your Scarcity Index works

Generally collectors have had to rely upon mintage figures to identify the scarcest coins.  But they only tell part of the story.  Trying to find a good quality coin from 15 – 20 years ago, even for a higher mintage issue, is much more challenging than a more recent issue, as coins become damaged over time and are ultimately removed from circulation.

Additionally, some designs are more hoarded than others by people who might not normally collect coins – the poignant First World War £2 Coin series being an example. Finally, it can be up to a couple of years before the Royal Mint eventually confirms the actual mintage for an issue.

That’s why we have combined the mintage information with two other key pieces of information.

  • How many of each design are listed as “collected” by Change Checkers, indicating the relative ease of finding a particular coin.
  • The number of times a design has been requested as a swap over the previous 3 months, showing the current level of collector demand.

Importantly, as new coins are released and popularity rises and falls across different designs the Scarcity Index will be updated quarterly allowing Change Checkers to track the relative performance of the UK’s circulation coins.

How much are my coins worth?

The Scarcity Index does not necessarily equate to value but it is certainly an effective indicator.  For example, the Kew Gardens 50p coin commands a premium of up to 200 times face value on eBay.

You can use the 6 point guide to help you determine a more realistic value for your coins.

What about £1 Coins?

The £1 Scarcity Index has already been published for the Round £1 coins and, because they are no longer being issued, this is now set in stone.

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The challenge is ON! How many Olympic 50ps can you collect?

After a year long wait the highly anticipated 2020 Tokyo Games have commenced and to celebrate Change Checker has a numismatic challenge for you to take part in!

In 2012, the Olympic Games were hosted in London and to mark the occasion The Royal Mint issued 29 50p coins, each depicting a design of a different sport.

So, we’re challenging Change Checkers to hunt down the Olympic 50ps to see if you can complete a collection of all 29 coins.

It won’t be easy, as it’s estimated that 75% of these coin have been removed from circulation by collectors, but by checking your change and swapping with other collectors, it’s definitely possible to find the complete set.

Sports Edition 50p Collecting Pack

To kickstart your collection, you can now get your hands on the Change Checker Sports 50p Collecting Pack, including space for all 29 coins as you find them in your change!

What’s more, we’ll even include a mystery Olympic 50p to get your collection started and you’ll receive a Change Checker Completer Medal too!

The set comes housed in a Change Checker Album, with pages and a title card telling you all you need to know about these coins.

These really were the 50ps that kick-started the nation’s love of collecting and with such amazing designs, many of which were created by members of the public, you can see why these coins are so well-loved!

They have some of the lowest mintage figures of all the UK 50p coins, with the Football 50p in particular, having a mintage of JUST 1,125,500.

When you consider the popularity and mintage figures of these coins, it really is an exciting challenge to try and collect all 29 designs. What’s more, with the Tokyo Games having just begun, it really is the perfect chance to see how many you can find.


How many will you collect? Best of luck Change Checkers!

Don’t forget to check back in with us to tell us how you’re getting on in the challenge!


Secure your Sports Edition 50p Collecting Pack today!

Kick-start your Olympic 50p collection with the Change Checker Sports 50p Collecting Pack for JUST £19.99 (+p&p).

Your pack includes an official Change Checker Album, ID cards for all of the London 2012 50p coins, pocket pages, and the Sports Edition Title page.

Excitingly, you’ll also receive a mystery London 2012 50p to house in your album PLUS a special Sports Edition Medal.

To take part in the challenge and to secure your Change Checker Sports Edition 50p Collection, simply click here >>

It’s all change for the 50ps! Your Scarcity Index…

It’s time for your latest Scarcity Index update, where we’ll reveal the UK’s most sought-after circulation coins of the last three months! And it’s all change again for the 50ps this quarter, as one coin drops a huge 15 places!

With less cash being used because of the current climate, it’s likely this is affecting collecting and it seems this has exposed some new trends on the indexes!

You can use the updated A-Z 10p, 50p and £2 indexes below to discover how sought-after the coins in your collection really are.

This information has been compiled using data from the Change Checker Swap Centre and presented in the easy to use indexes below, with arrows to signify how many places up or down a coin has moved since the last Scarcity Index.

A-Z 10p Scarcity Index

Well we’ve seen another big mix up for the latest A-Z 10p Scarcity Index update, with our biggest climber, M for Mackintosh, jumping up a huge 12 places!

In our last Scarcity Index, we saw the Tea 10p take the top spot for the first time and it’s retained its title this quarter, closely followed by Y for Yeoman Warder.

Other big movers include the H for Houses of Parliament and F for Fish and Chips, both moving down 16 places towards the bottom of the index.

Regardless of where they feature on the above index, if you have any of the A-Z 10ps in your collection you should consider yourself lucky, as they are particularly hard to come by in circulation and each design has a relatively low mintage (just 220,000 of each design released in 2018 and 2.1 million overall in 2019).

50p Scarcity Index

Previously the Football 50p had held second spot behind the most sought-after 50p in circulation, the Kew Gardens, but we saw it drop last quarter, and this Index, it’s similar story! The Judo, Triathlon and Wrestling 50ps have now all bumped the Football 50p to fifth spot.

This update sees a huge jump for Taekwondo, jumping up 11 places and landing it in our top 10. There are big changes for the Wheelchair Rugby and Athletics 50ps too, dropping 15 and 11 respectively.

Since our last Scarcity Index update, we’ve seen the 2018 Peter Rabbit drop 3 places but the 2018 Flopsy Bunny 50p has jumped up 2 spots. As the two rarest Beatrix Potter 50ps in circulation, it’s interesting to see them shuffle once more. These coins are definitely the ones to watch…

£2 Scarcity Index

For the first time in recent updates, the Commonwealth Games coins have been disrupted at the top of the index. The Olympic Handover has bumped the Commonwealth Games Wales £2 out of the top 4, moving up a place.

As for the rest of the index, there’s been a substantial amount of reshuffling. The Shakespeare Tragedies has dropped 11 places, whilst the First World War (Navy) is up 3!

After the announcement that there are no plans to issue any £2 coins into circulation for the next 10 years, it’s likely we’ll see a further shuffle to the £2 Index over the next few quarters.

How your Scarcity Index works

Generally collectors have had to rely upon mintage figures to identify the scarcest coins.  But they only tell part of the story.  Trying to find a good quality coin from 15 – 20 years ago, even for a higher mintage issue, is much more challenging than a more recent issue, as coins become damaged over time and are ultimately removed from circulation.

Additionally, some designs are more hoarded than others by people who might not normally collect coins – the poignant First World War £2 Coin series being an example. Finally, it can be up to a couple of years before the Royal Mint eventually confirms the actual mintage for an issue.

That’s why we have combined the mintage information with two other key pieces of information.

  • How many of each design are listed as “collected” by Change Checkers, indicating the relative ease of finding a particular coin.
  • The number of times a design has been requested as a swap over the previous 3 months, showing the current level of collector demand.

Importantly, as new coins are released and popularity rises and falls across different designs the Scarcity Index will be updated quarterly allowing Change Checkers to track the relative performance of the UK’s circulation coins.

How much are my coins worth?

The Scarcity Index does not necessarily equate to value but it is certainly an effective indicator.  For example, the Kew Gardens 50p coin commands a premium of up to 200 times face value on eBay.

You can use the 6 point guide to help you determine a more realistic value for your coins.

What about £1 Coins?

The £1 Scarcity Index has already been published for the Round £1 coins and, because they are no longer being issued, this is now set in stone.


Secure the Ultimate A-Z 10p Collector’s Kit to your collection!

Secure yours for £30 (+p&p) by clicking here >>

The 2018 UK A-Z 10p Collector’s Kit gives you everything you need to collect, display, and protect your collection of A-Z 10p coins as you find them in your change.

Secure your kit today! Click here >>