Posts Tagged ‘Olympics’
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!
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.
The Official 2020 Change Checker Games!
*** UPDATE ***
Like many of you, we were waiting in high anticipation for the Tokyo Olympics this year, but as we had to wait a little longer, we decided to host our very own Change Checker version of events…
And we’ve now chosen our Bronze, Silver and, Gold prize winners! Simply watch our video below to find out if you’ve won…
Every Friday we’ve been running a different coin-based challenge for you to take part in, which you can see on our Facebook page!
Each video showcased a demonstration of the week’s event and all you needed to do to be in with the chance of winning some incredible prizes was:
- Watch our weekly video here
- Have a go at the challenge yourself, and
- Leave a picture or video of your attempt in the comments on our Facebook post!
For each event, we have chosen a Gold, Silver and Bronze winner, who will each be winning a prize!
Simply watch our video in this blog, or on our Facebook page, to find out if you’ve been chosen as one of our winners!
Bronze: a set of three Change Checker Trading Cards to add to your collection!
Silver: a set of SIX Change Checker Trading Cards to add to your collection!
But, last and definitely by no means least, our Gold winners will be taking home an incredible NINE Change Checker Tradings Cards AND a year’s subscription to Coin Collector Magazine!
We are so grateful to Coin Collector Magazine for getting involved, so a huge thank you goes to them!
Our Awards Ceremony video is now live on our Facebook channel and you can see it here.
Thanks so much to everyone who took part and congratulations to our winners!
Don’t forget to send us an email at [email protected] to claim your prize!
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
The Top 5 Coins of the Decade
I still can’t quite believe 2020 is here and we’re into a new decade! But what better excuse could there be to take a look back at some of our favourite coin releases from the past 10 years?
Along with new coins, the numismatic world as a whole seems to have expanded as a new generation of collectors have discovered the joy of this fantastic hobby.
There’s no denying we’ve seen some incredible coins released since 2010, but the Change Checker team have picked out our personal favourite TOP FIVE.
So without any further ado, here are the coins we believe to be the greatest of the past 10 years. Drum roll please...
1. The London Olympic and Paralympic 50ps
Issued to mark the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games hosted by London, this coin series played a huge part in transforming the 50p into the UK’s most collectable coin.
29 different 50p coin designs were released to commemorate the different sports and across the nation millions rose to the challenge of collecting them all.
The Royal Mint now estimates that as many as 75% of the Olympic 50p coins have been removed from circulation by collectors, which is a testament to their popularity.
It was certainly the Olympic 50p series that reawakened the nation’s love of coin collecting in the last decade, so we just had to include them at the top of our list!
2. The Beatrix Potter 50ps
Next up is a series which inspired a whole new generation of collectors, and for that reason it would be a crime not to include the Beatrix Potter 50p series on our list.
Just like me, I’m sure you’ll have fond childhood memories of reading the enchanting tales of Peter Rabbit and his friends as a child and this beautiful 50p series really does do justice to those memorable tales.
4 years, and 14 coins later, the Beatrix Potter 50p coins remain one of the public’s favourite ever collection of coins.
Since The Royal Mint released the first Beatrix Potter 50ps in 2016, these charming coins have created a collecting frenzy, becoming increasingly sought-after to this day.
I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that this is one of the stand-out coin series of all time, let alone the decade!
3. Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th Birthday £5
As a nation, we’ve celebrated Her Majesty the Queen’s landmark birthdays, jubilees and wedding anniversaries during her long and eventful reign.
Traditionally, the Queen’s birthday milestones are celebrated with £5 coins, as seen issued in both 1996 and 2006 to mark her 70th and 80th birthdays.
And so, this decade, when Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to celebrate their 90th Birthday, the release of this £5 coin in 2016 was particularly special and hugely significant for collectors around the world.
This was the only official UK £5 coin to mark this special occasion, designed by acclaimed artist Christopher Hobbs, who captured the Queen’s love of flowers, showing nine roses – one for each decade of the Queen’s life.
4. 2015 Britannia £2
Britannia has a long standing history with British coinage, having featured on a British coin in one way or another for more than 300 years.
In 2008 she was surprisingly dropped from the 50p, despite a Daily Mail campaign to save her. However in February 2015 it was announced that Antony Dufort’s modern interpretation of Britannia would be making a triumphant return to British circulating coins, replacing the definitive £2 “Technology” design which had featured on the coin since 1997.
This was a very popular move from The Royal Mint, but it wasn’t until the mintage figures were announced that the real surprise was unveiled…
Only 650,000 of the 2015 dated Britannia £2 coins had been stuck for circulation, making it one of the rarest UK £2 coins ever!
The rarity and numismatic significance of this coin as the UK’s new definitive £2 means it had to earn a spot on our Top Five list.
5. The A-Z of Great Britain 10ps
In 2018, The Royal Mint sparked huge excitement across the nation with the surprise release of 26 brand new 10p coin designs.
Each coin design was created to represent an image of what makes Britain British from A – Angel of the North, all the way to Z – Zebra Crossing, and collectors quickly fell in love with these unique coins.
Figures for 2018 confirm that 220,000 of each design entered circulation, meaning each design is almost as rare as the Kew Gardens 50p – the UK’s rarest coin in circulation!
A further 2.1 million A-Z 10ps were released in 2019 overall, meaning there really aren’t many to go around and many collectors are struggling to come across them in their change as they are being snapped up so quickly.
The A-Z 10ps really have been one of the biggest numismatic talking points of the decade and so they just had to be included on our list. Have you been lucky enough to find any?
Of course there have been so many other incredible releases in the past 10 years and narrowing it down to just five was a tough job, but we certainly feel that these coins have got to be highlights of the last decade.
Let us know which coins would make it into your Top Five in the comments below!
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