King Charles’s 50p coins haven’t long been in circulation (Image: Getty)
A 50p coin bearing ’s portrait has been officially crowned as the UK’s rarest coin in circulation, less than a year after it was released.
The coin, dubbed “the nation’s most collectable coin”, depicts the Atlantic Salmon and was first released at the end of 2023.
It marks a significant shift for coin collectors, as the Atlantic Salmon knocks the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p off the top spot for the first time in 15 years, the Royal Mint has confirmed in its 2023 mintage figures for UK coins in circulation.
Just 200,000 of the Atlantic Salmon 50ps have been released to UK banks and post offices, 10,000 less than the 2009 Kew Gardens coin.
, with new designs across all denominations from the 1p to £2.
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The Royal Mint has a selection of special commemorative collectors coins (Image: Getty Images)
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Each design highlights the 75-year-old monarch’s “passion for conservation and the natural world”, featuring wildlife such as the hazel dormouse and bees, the Royal Mint said.
Described by the Royal Mint as “the nation’s most collectable coin”, the 50p has seen over 100 different designs appear on its reverse since its introduction.
This includes special designs to , the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, and the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Out of the 10 rarest 50ps in circulation, six are related to the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games, with Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny coins from 2018 both also making the list.
The Atlantic Salmon 50p coin is now the rarest UK coin (Image: RoyalMint)
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Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint said: “The releasing of mintage figures is an eagerly anticipated event among the coin collecting community – and this year is particularly exciting as we reveal the Atlantic Salmon as the rarest 50p in circulation.
“For the first time in 15 years, the highly collectable Kew Gardens 50p loses its top spot as the rarest in circulation with the Atlantic Salmon 50p splashing its way to number one.
“2023 marked pivotal changes for the nation’s coinage, including the introduction of coins celebrating King Charles III’s coronation entering circulation.
“Finding these special designs, like the Atlantic Salmon, in your change is a win for all collectors.”