A BRAND new 50p has been launched to celebrate one major event this month.
But it’s not any old coin, and the design could in fact be worth a lot more than face value to collectors in years to come.
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The Royal Mint frequently issues rare commemorative pieces.
And sometimes buyers are willing to pay hundreds of pounds to get their hands on the rarest copies – like the Kew Gardens 50p, or anything from the 2012 Olympics set.
Today though, the coin giant has released a new commemorative 50p celebrating the 50th anniversary of Pride UK.
This month the country celebrates the annual tradition, so what better time than to release the new coin design.
Nicola Howell, chief commercial officer at The Royal Mint said: “The design is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Pride UK, and we know how excited collectors will be to find one in their change.”
The 50p design features five rainbows, each accompanied with part of the inscription, “Protest, Visibility, Unity, and Equality, Pride London’s values, on the reverse of the coin.
And with state-of-the-art colour printing technology, the iconic colours of the Pride progression flag are recreated on special-edition versions of the uncirculated coins.
You can buy them straight from The Royal Mint for £18 now.
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That technically makes the coin worth 36 times more than its face value – of 50p.
It’s not until later in the year that The Royal Mint will release the same design into circulation though.
But when it does, five million copies will be passed through hands, cropping up in change across the country.
If you’re lucky enough to stumble upon a copy in your change you might be able to sell it on, via auction websites like eBay.
It might not fetch as much as the technicolour design, but the rare print is still likely to be a hit with collectors.
It will be the first UK 50p coin issued representing the LGBTQ+ community, and the experts at Change Checker say that previous “UK firsts” have made a great splash in the past.
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“50p coins have been incredibly popular, so we are anticipating the Pride 50p to be in high demand with collectors,” said the cash experts.
Similar spectacles have done well under the virtual hammer before, after all.
One rare 50p coin sold for £185 on eBay with THOUSANDS more in circulation.
And another managed to sell for an impressive £160 as well, to name a few.
A spokesperson from The Royal Mint said: “Coin collecting remains a very popular hobby in Britain and people take a lot of enjoyment from finding ‘special’ designs in their change.
“Due to the significance of the 50th Anniversary of Pride, we expect many people who find a Pride 50p will add it to their coin collection, or retain it as a keepsake.”
What about other rare coins in my change?
It’s always worthing having a rifle through your spare change to see if you have any rarities of your own to boast.
When they are they are produced in low numbers, demand from collectors is high.
You can usually check mintage figures that tell you this with experts like Change Checker, Coin Hunter and The Royal Mint.
But another good way to check if you’re in the money is by taking a look at other listings on sites like eBay.
Compare the odd coins that you spot with listings of similar rare designs to see if you could be quids-in.
You can check if something’s the real deal by looking at how many people have been willing to bid for it in the past – and how much they’ve driven the price up by too.
But beware that a buyer could pull out, which means a coin won’t have sold for the price it says it has.
And always be cautious of fakes, as they’ll often show up online too.
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