Which 5p coins are most valuable? One just sold to a collector for £73

Rare 5p coins are selling for thousands of times their face value to the right collectors, as lucky owners stand to make huge windfalls.

It is not just rare 5ps that can fetch huge sums, though, with many other coins in circulation fetching massive sums when sold.

Recently one uncirculated 5p from 1979 sold for £73 because it had a minting error that made it much rarer – and therefore more valuable.

The 5p in question was accidentally struck twice on the same side with different designs.

Seeing double: Collectors will pay a high price for minting mistakes, such as those seen on this double-stamped 5p 

The lucky owner of the coin was able to sell it to a collector on Ebay, who forked out £73 for the ‘error coin’.

Ebay ‘sold for’ prices should be treated with caution, as the item could have actually sold for far less.

However, coins really are valuable to collectors if they are rare or have printing mistakes, according to coin expert Phil Mussel, marketing director and coin expert at Token Publishing.

‘Any mistake is valuable’, Mussel said. ‘Double struck and other mistake coins will collect a good amount of money, but it’s worth remembering they’re not in circulation.

‘Special coins minted for short series are the other type of coin that can be valuable.’

Other valuable 5p coins include a 2008 coin that has Queen Elizabeth II’s head upside down, which recently sold to a collector for more than £60.

If you have a 5p minted in 1993 or 2018 you could also be in for a payout. 

That is because 5p coins from these years were not meant to go into circulation, but some small collector sets were produced and could be worth a decent price if they turn up in your change.

Come up smiling: Some coins minted in 1993, like this one, were not meant to enter the money system – so are rare and of value to collectors

At one time the 5p was one of the most common coins in the UK, with over 1.5billion made in 1990. 

But with the emergence of debit card payments and online banking the number of 5ps has fallen. In 2021 a mere 28million of the coins were put into circulation.

We list some of the other rare coins to look out for.  

The A to Z 10p 

From 2018-19 The Royal Mint produced a series of 26 coins, one design for each letter in the alphabet.

Around 304,000 were made of each coin, but since being minted the number of these coins in circulation has dwindled.

This set is much rarer now as coins are lost and destroyed. Mussel says there are only around 50,000-60,000 of each design.

Kew Gardens 50p

One of the most coveted coins is the Kew Gardens 50p.

 Kew Gardens 50p: The Great Pagoda is honoured on its front

This coin was first released in 2009 to celebrate 250 years of the iconic West London landmark.

Only 210,000 were brought into circulation and some have been known to sell for as much as £700 to collectors.

The 50p was then released again in a second batch in 2019. These are less valuable but still sell for up to £80. 

Double date £1 coins

Yet it is the mistake coins that will likely earn you the most money. 

If you have a £1 coin dated in 2016 then it is worth a closer look. 

This is the first year the new design of £1 coin was printed, but a small batch was accidentally double printed with a 2017 date on the face.

You’ll most likely need a magnifying glass to see the blunder but it is worth the extra effort, as one seller was able to fetch £3,000 at auction.

The Northern Ireland commonwealth £2

All four nations commonwealth coins are considered rare but Northern Ireland’s is the rarest

To celebrate the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the Bank of England released a series of stunning £2 coins for each home nation.

The Northern Ireland version is the rarest with only 485,000 in circulation. These now sell on auction sites for up to £85.

‘New’ 2p Coins

From 1971 to 1982 all 2p coins were printed with the words ‘New Pence’ on the front, but were then changed to say ‘two pence’, which has stayed the same ever since.

Yet in 1983 a rare error meant that there was a limited batch printed with the former wording. 

So if you have a 2p from 1983 with ‘New Pence’ on the front you could be looking at something worth up to £1,000.

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk