COIN collectors and British history fans may be looking to get their hands on the Shield of the Royal Arms 50p coin.
Your spare shrapnel could end up making you a small fortune – we reveal how much this particular coin could fetch you.
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The Royal coat of arms details a shield divided into four quarters representing England, Scotland and Ireland.
The emblem can only be used by the Queen and can be seen on official documents like the British passport.
The Royal Shield 50p features a small segment of this design, only showing the bottom half.
Six other coins are needed in total to make a whole shield when put together, including the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, and 20p coin.
But the one pound coin details the entire shield on its own.
It was designed by Matthew Dent following a public competition which saw 4,000 people compete with their own drawings.
Matthew’s winning design replaced Christopher Ironside’s Britannia depiction originally on the reverse of all 50ps in 2008, after being picked by The Royal Mint’s advisory committee.
So there’s a good chance you would’ve spotted one in your own change as it’s been in circulation for over a decade.
RARE COINS AND VALUABLE NOTES
How much is the Royal Arms 50p worth?
Sellers have taken to platforms such as eBay to flog this 50p.
We saw one sell for £2.99 after piquing the interest of one bidder.
This means the coin sold for almost six times its face value.
But note, bidders can cancel purchases, meaning an item hasn’t sold for the amount it says it has.
It’s worth noting that proof versions of the 50p coin are being sold for much higher than this.
A proof coin is one that never enters circulation and is created with collectors in mind.
One proof coin on the site sold for £46, meaning the coin has made 80 times its face value.
Proof coins cannot be spent though.
Often, coins are only worth the amount someone is willing to bid – so values can change from one day to the next.
If you’re looking to buy a coin online, make sure to watch out for fakes.
It’s a good idea to browse similar items and note the price other sellers are listing them for.
If you want to check whether your change is worth a mint, you can do so with experts like The Royal Mint or Change Checker.
And this isn’t the only coin attracting bidders – a rare £2 error coin that looks like an EGG has sold for £105 on eBay.
Meanwhile, The Royal Mint released a £5 coloured coin featuring Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit.
And popular children’s book character Eeyore is seen on a 50p – this is how much it is worth.
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