RUMMAGING through your pockets for spare change could leave you better off if you find a Benjamin Bunny 50p.
You could sell them on for more than their face value to coin fans looking to grow their collection.
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The 50p pieces feature the character Benjamin Bunny, who is best friends with Peter Rabbit – the famous furry character created by author Beatrix Potter.
Benjamin Bunny is pictured on the coin wearing a hat, carrying a coat and eating radishes.
We explain how rare the coin is – and how much you could expect to cash in if you find one.
How rare are Benjamin Bunny 50ps?
If a coin is rare, that means there are less of them about – and it can sometimes help to nudge up the value of your change.
According to Change Checker’s 50p Mintage figures index, 25million coins were released into circulation in 2017.
There were part of a series of 50p coins featuring famous Beatrix Potter characters – including Peter Rabbit, Tom Kitten and Jeremy Fisher – launched by the Royal Mint.
It doesn’t make it the rarest coin out there though – in fact, it’s the 50th rarest 50p you’ll be able to find.
For example, there are a lot more Benjamin Bunny 50ps than the rarest 50p coin you’ll find, which features the London landmark Kew Gardens on it.
Only 210,000 of the Kew Gardens 50ps were put into circulation – meaning there are far less of them around compared to the Benjamin Bunny coin.
However, there are other factors that influence the value of a coin – just because something is rare, doesn’t necessarily mean people want it.
If a coin is scarce, a lot of people want them – and scarcity can boost the value of a coin.
However, Benjamin Bunny coins are not the most in demand coin you’ll come across.
Change Checker has ranked the 50p fairly low on its Scarcity Index – it has been marked with an index rating of 1 out of 100, with 100 being the most in demand and 1 being the least.
The coins to look out for are those which are both rare and scarce.
It means that you’re less likely to come across one, but lots of people want them – so you could find collectors battling it in a bidding war to bag it.
Rare coins and valuable notes – is yours worth a mint?
How much are Benjamin Bunny 50ps worth?
Beatrix Potter coins have been known to sell for a much more than their face value.
A Peter Rabbit coin was sold for £840 on eBay in 2018 – but you’re unlikely to get this price for a Benjamin Bunny 50p.
When we checked out how much these coins had been sold for recently on eBay, one was sold for £2.60 in September, while another went for £1.20 earlier this month.
It means that you’re unlikely to cash in on big sums with values like this.
It could be worth hanging onto your coin to see if its value increases – or sell it as part of a bigger collection.
How to check if your small change is worth anything
If you think that you have a rare coin then you might be able to make a profit.
The most valuable coins are usually those with a low mintage or an error because these are often thought to be the most valuable by collectors.
That’s because you’re less likely to come across these types of coins.
You can check how much the coin is selling for on eBay by searching the full name of the coin, select the “sold” listing and then toggle the search to “highest value”.
It will give you an idea of the amount of money that the coin is going for. But it’s not always the case that a coin has sold for the amount is was listed for.
Coins are really only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.
Sometimes collectors are willing to pay more for a coin if they need it to collect a set – so sometimes you’ll get lucky is a keen buyer comes across your listing.
You can either choose to sell the coin on eBay or through a specialist like ChangeChecker.org.
If you choose the auction website then remember to set a minimum price that is higher or at the very least equal to the face value of the coin.
Even if your coin “sells” on eBay for a high price there’s no guarantee that the buyer will cough up.
It its terms and conditions, the auction website states that bidders enter a “legally binding contract to purchase an item”, but there’s no way to enforce this rule in reality.
The most eBay can do is add a note to their account for the unpaid item or remove their ability to bid and buy.
Here’s how much the Peter Rabbit 50p is worth.
We’ve also checked out how much cash you could get if you find a Brexit 50p.
Want to see how much your Paddington Bear coin could be? We explain how much you could cash in.
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