THE TRIATHLON is a triple threat sport in the Olympics – and you could argue that the coin inspired by it is the same.
The Triathlon 50p is rare, valuable, and looks cool too, with the design of a runner, cyclist, and swimmer on its reverse – making it unique to normal 50p designs.
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This 50p though, is also the rarest of its kind.
It was minted in 2011, along with 28 other designs that each featured a sport played at the 2012 Olympics.
The world-renowned games came to the UK that year and the collection was issued to celebrate.
But the Triathlon coin is the rarest of the bunch, as it has the lowest mintage figures of any of the 29 designs.
Each design has now had more than 10 years to pass hands and filter through Brits change, so one could just as easily make its way into your possession.
What do you do then – should you sell it to bidders on eBay, or spend it down the corner shop?
It all depends on how rare the coin is. We explore the Triathlon 50p, and reveal how much it could be worth.
How rare is the Triathlon 50p?
There are only 1,163,500 Triathlon 50ps in circulation according to Change Checker.
In comparison, there’s around 200 million regular 50ps, which is a lot of change to rifle through compared to the Olympic coin’s small number.
RARE COINS AND VALUABLE NOTES
On Change Checker’s latest scarcity index update the coin sits in 2nd place, which makes it extremely rare on the scale.
It’s also got a score of 89 and is deemed “very scarce” by the change experts.
The only coin that tops it is the Kew Gardens 50p, which has 100 points of its own.
The scarcity index ranks each of the coins between one and 100 to indicate how hard they are to find, as well as how in demand they may be.
The higher the number, the rarer the coin – and this can make it more valuable too which means you could be quids in if you have your own copy.
How much is the Triathlon 50p worth?
Even though it’s the second rarest on the scale, it doesn’t fetch quite so much on eBay.
The rare Kew Gardens 50p can often sell for hundreds of pounds, but we’ve only seen the Triathlon coin go for £24 on the online auction site as of late.
That particular listing meant the coin sold for 48 times its face value.
But some sellers who have the complete set of all 29 Olympic coins have managed to sell them as a job lot for up to £134 on eBay recently.
Keep that in mind, as it could be worth building up your collection first, if you want to earn more.
How rare are other 50ps in my change?
There are at least 28 other Olympic coins that could make you a few quid, but what about other rare coins?
If you spot a different unique design on the 50ps in your change, you could find it’s just as valuable – and make a lot of money from it.
That being said, a coin is only worth what someone is willing to bid on it.
Look for designs with a low mintage, as these will be more valuable to collectors as they are harder to get their hands on.
You can check in with experts like Coin Hunter, Change Checker, or The Royal Mint to see what your change is worth.
Then try selling it on eBay – other listings on eBay will help you to see how much you could get too.
But beware of fakes – and keep in mind that a buyer could always pull out, which means the coin won’t have sold for the price it says it has.
Rare coins and valuable notes – is yours worth a mint?
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