RARE coins can fetch for more than just a pretty penny so it might be worth digging around your loose change.
And there’s an easy way to tell if you might have a valuable coin – they have a low mintage which means there aren’t many of them.
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It means collectors could be willing to pay over the odds to get their hands on one and you could make a decent profit.
The Royal Mint, which produced British coins, provides mintage figures for every coin in circulation.
The figures were most recently updated last September, but everything from pennies to £2 coins are ranked.
We’ve sifted through the top ten you could come across in your loose change that could fetch you a handsome profit on eBay.
You can compare other rare coins on the online auction site to get an idea of how much they can be worth.
Tools from change experts like Coin Hunter and even The Royal Mint itself can help verify your change too.
But ultimately the value of the coin depends on what the bidder is willing to pay.
Be careful of fake coins that might be in circulation though – these won’t be worth as much.
RARE COINS AND VALUABLE NOTES
You also have to keep in mind that a buyer could have pulled out after the auction ended, meaning the coin won’t actually have sold for the price that it says it has.
Here are the top ten rarest coins in circulation:
1. Single Market 50p – worth £72
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This coin was minted in 1992, making it a lot older than others in The Royal Mint’s top 10.
Only 109,000 were produced which makes it the rarest coin in circulation right now.
Bidders are willing to spend a pretty penny on it too – we found an uncirculated coin which attracted 24 bids and sold for £72 in September this year.
Collectors are also keen on the coin’s “double dated” design with “1992” and “1993” both featuring in the production.
2. Kew Gardens 50p – worth £136
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The 50p Kew Gardens coin features the Chinese Pagoda at the famous London landmark of the same name and makes it into the top three of the rarest coins out there as there are so few of them.
Just 210,000 were released into circulation in 2009.
It’s also one of the most valuable due to its recognisable design and low mintage, with top offers for copies found in people’s change going for as much as £136.
The coin is no stranger to a high bid though, as at The Sun we’ve previously spotted the Kew Gardens 50p selling for as much as £580.
3. Great British Coin Hunt Z 10p – worth £30
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Royal Mint released this coin as part of the full alphabet 10p collection.
This coin in particular celebrates James Callaghan’s iconic black and white pedestrian crossing, to symbolise the Z letter also featured on the design.
The coin, along with the other 25 in the collection, was minted in 2019 – and there were only 220,000 of each one produced.
Because they’re so rare, bidders are sometimes willing to spend more to get their hands on one – we spotted one coin which sold for £29.99 in June this year on eBay.
But complete the full alphabet of the coins like one seller had, and you could make a whopping £419.99 instead, so it can pay to be patient.
4. Commonwealth Games Ireland £2 – worth £46
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In 2002, four different designs of this £2 coin were created to commemorate the Commonwealth games, but the Irish version is the rarest with only 485,500 minted.
We’ve spotted the coin sell for as much as £33 on eBay recently, and another went for £46.
There’s more money in the complete set though, as one seller proved when they sold all four coins for a whopping £100.
5. Commonwealth Games Wales £2 – worth £64
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The second rarest Commonwealth £2 coin was the Wales version and 588,500 of these were minted.
The Commonwealth Games Wales £2 was also launched in 2002, this time the only difference is the little Welsh flag marked on the design.
It sold for £64 – a whopping 32 times more than face value – after 14 bids were placed.
6. Britannia 5th Portrait £2 – worth £25
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The Britannia design was minted in 2015 with 650,000 in circulation.
In 2008, the portrait design was dropped from the 50p but made a reappearance on the sparse collection of £2 coins.
Looking at recent eBay listings though, it isn’t one of the most favoured rare designs.
The most we spotted one of the coins selling for was £25.01.
One you might spot in your change might instead go for a lower £6.99 or even less though.
7. FWW Navy 5th Portrait £2 – worth £17
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There were also 650,000 of the First World War Navy £2 coins minted in 2015.
The coin features a battleship design by military artist David Rowlands and the 5th portrait of the Queen.
It’s also the second in a five-coin series remembering the First World War and celebrates the efforts of the Royal Navy and their contribution to the war effort.
Collectors are willing to pay as much as £17 for the coin on eBay, though – it might not sound an awful lot, but it’s 34 times its face value.
8. Commonwealth Games England £2 – worth £50
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Another in the 2002 Commonwealth series, the English version is the eighth rarest coin in circulation.
Some 650,500 were minted at the time, making the coin rare enough for eBay bidders to happily pay as much as £50 for it.
The edge of this coin also has the inscription “Spirit of Friendship, Manchester 2002”, which adds appeal to collectors too.
9. Britannia 50p – worth £10
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You might think a Britannia 50p is pretty common – but there are actually a number of different versions in issue, and some are pretty rare.
In 1985 the Royal Mint released a Limited Issue Britannia 50p coin, and only 682,103 were made, so collectors are still keen to get their hands on a copy.
The reverse design is a seated figure of Britannia by Christopher Ironside and the obverse design is a portrait of Elizabeth II by Raphael Maklouf.
The coin itself is a bit larger than some of the more modern versions – we’ve spotted it selling for £10 or more.
10. Commonwealth Games Scotland £2 – worth £11
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Out of all of the valuable Commonwealth coins, Scotland’s take is the least rare.
The coin has a mintage of 771,750 – some 286,250 more than were released of the rarest Irish version.
It features pretty much the same design as the other coins in the series but the Scottish flag is on the design instead.
Bidders on eBay have still paid higher than face value for the coin though, with a recent auction on the site concluding at £11.
There are plenty of other rare coins that haven’t made the top ten cut of course – rare Blue Peter 50p sold for a whopping £235 on eBay.
Beatrix Potter’s furry creations are always popular too – there are rare 50p coin designs dedicated to the Tailor of Gloucester.
Plus Royal Mint released this new coin celebrating Alan Turing and it has three secret codes.
