Ultra rare Blue Peter 50p coin sells for 400 times more than face value – could you have one in your change?

AN ULTRA rare Blue Peter 50p has been sold for 400 times more than face value.

The nostalgic mint was designed to celebrate the London Olympic games in 2012 – and is now selling for a whopping price.

1

The rare coin features a picture of an athlete in the Olympics -which was drawn by a young viewer back in 2009.

The Blue Peter was designed by Florence Jackson, after she won a competition that saw more than 17,000 entries from the kids TV show.

The nine year-old became the youngest person to ever design a coin.

Treasure hunters described the find as a “must have for any serious coin collector”.

Around 2.2million of the 50p coins were minted and released into circulation in 2011.

And is understood that many did enter everyday transactions.

But this earlier version was minted in 2009 and is more valuable to collectors.

The rare coin sold for a whopping £207.27, after attracting eight bids on eBay.

The coins were initially sold for £1.09.

But they can now reach more than £200 – with one even fetching £286 on online auction sites.

The value can increase if it comes with its original packaging including images of presenters from the popular show.

A Blue Peter 50p previously sold for £257, which made it over 500 times more than face value.

Others also went for as much as £266 and an eye-watering £286 in the past.

Are any other coins in my change valuable?

Much like how the Blue Peter coin is a commemorative coin, similar designs are often desirable for collectors.

For sporty fans, it’s not the only coin celebrating the Olympics either.

There’s a collection containing 29 different designs of each of the sports from the 2012 games, and these will regularly sell above face value.

Some of them sell for more than others, but it’s all because of how low the mintage figures are.

That being said, a coin will only sell above face value if someone is willing to bid that much.

One of the most popular coins to collect is the Kew Gardens 50p and this can go for over £300 in some cases, as it’s so rare and sought after.

Coins with errors will usually gain a lot of interest too.

But from one day to the next, that interest can change so there’s no hard and fast guarantee you’ll be minted by snapping one up.

If you look at other listings on eBay you’ll be able to determine how much your own change could go for.

But be cautious of fakes, as they’ll often show up online.

You should also always keep in mind that on eBay a buyer could pull out, which means the coin won’t have sold for the price it says it has.

But if you’re worried, or want a definitive answer to how much your change is worth, you can check your change with experts like Coin Hunter or The Royal Mint.

They’ll be able to tell you if your change is worth what others are saying or maybe more.

It comes as another rare 50p worth up 600 times its value has been sold.

The Royal Mint produced the coin more than two decades ago – and is now selling for a whopping price.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk