The five rarest 50p coins worth up to £895 revealed – do you have a valuable one? | The Sun

RARE coins can often sell for hundreds of pounds if they're spotted by the right person.

Experts have listed those that are the hardest to get hold of, but also pretty valuable and could make a major mint.

There are dozens of different 50p designs out there, but not all of them are valuable to collectors.

It's usually the coins with low mintage figures, of which there are fewer, that are the most valuable due to their rarity.

Change Checker updates it scarcity index, which looks at these figures and ranks coins, every three months – and with the last having taken place in May, we're due a fresh look very soon.

For now though, heavy hitters like the ever popular Kew Gardens 50p remain at the top of the charts, closely followed by some of the 2012 Olympic coins in circulation.

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From one day to the next interest can change with these new coins though, so there's no hard and fast guarantee you'll be minted, snapping a rare one up.

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

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.

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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.

If it's not in mint condition, you'll need to point out the scratches in your listing to make sure you're clear with collectors as to what they're getting.

For now though, here are the rarest 50p coins, according to how many were minted and how they rank on Change Checker's latest scarcity index from May.

We have included listings for how much we've seen these coins sell for on eBay but of course this varies so you may not get that much, or you may get more.

1. Kew Gardens 50p – £895

The Kew Gardens coin tops both Change Checker's scarcity index and the Royal Mint's rarest coins to date.

Bidders often battle it out to get their hands on this coin as it is so rare and one of the most sought after in circulation.

Just 210,000 of them were released into circulation, and the coin pictures the Chinese Pagoda at the famous London landmark.

They have been known to sell for as much as £895 on eBay before.

And one rare coin supposedly sporting a minting error also sold for as much as £721 on the online auction site.

Error coins will go for hundreds as they're also produced in very low numbers, so they can sometimes be rarer than the low mintage coins themselves.

2. Judo 50p – £29

Over 1.16million of these Judo coins were put into circulation in 2011 to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The coin shows two athletes locked in a judo fight, with one throwing their opponent to the floor.

The Judo 50p remained high on the list of most rare coins in May, coming in second.

The highest bid we've seen on eBay was for £29 for this 50p.

3. Triathlon 50p – £30

This Triathlon 50p piece shows athletes doing the three sports which form the triathlon – swimming, cycling and running.

There are over 1,160,000 in circulation but with over 200million 50ps circulating in the UK, that makes the Triathlon 50p quite the rare find.

According to Change Checker's index the triathlon 50p was the third rarest coin back in May.

The highest recent sale we've found on eBay for one is £30.

4. Football 50p – £75

Another coin created to commemorate the Olympics of 2012 is among the rarest and this features an explanation of the offside rule.

In the May's Scarcity Index this coin came in fourth as there were just over one million put into circulation back in 2011.

One sold for £24 on eBay in April this year, although it has been known to go for as much as £75 in the past.

5. Tennis – £6.50

This 50p features a tennis ball is flying over the net, it features fifth in Change Checkers most recent scarcity index.

A total of 1,454,000 Tennis 50p coins were put into circulation, according to Change Checker.

It doesn't go for as much as some of the other Olympic 50ps – we saw it being flogged for £6.50 on eBay recently.

How much are other 50p coins worth?

Many coins can be worth much more when sold on eBay as part of a collection.

Although sometimes you'll get better individual prices if another enthusiast needs your coin to complete their collection.

The rare Blue Peter Olympic 50p has been flogged on eBay for £205 in the past.

The coin shows an athlete doing the high jump and was drawn by nine-year-old Florence Jackson after winning a competition on the kid's TV show.

Plus, one seller managed to pocket a whopping £63,000 flogging his Battle of Hasting's 50p too.

Coins with mistakes tend to be among the highest values as well, because they'll also come in extremely limited numbers.

One 50p that was mistakenly struck twice sold for as much as £510 on eBay because it was rare.

It's not only 50ps either, as a rare error 10p coin sold for over 1,000 times more than its face value on eBay too.

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Meanwhile, keep an eye for specific numbers on your banknotes with Queen Elizabeth on as they could be worth hundreds of pounds.

And, a rare 20p coin has been sold for a whopping £1,400 at an auction thanks to a unique detail.

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