Brits urged to check their pockets for coins worth up to £767

Britons are being urged to check their pockets for rare 50p which could be worth as much as £767. when a limited number are put into circulation, making them harder to find and highly sought after by collectors.

Some rare 50p coins feature unusual markings, depict popular characters and cartoons, or commemorate certain events. Based on past sales, collectors could fetch a total of £767 if they sold all five of these

The Atlantic Salmon 2023

According to the Royal Mint, the rarest 50p coin in circulation is the Atlantic Salmon. Following accession to the throne, the coin was released in November 2023 as one of eight definitive designs representing flora and fauna across all four UK nations. King Charles III features on the front, and an Atlantic salmon leaps through waves on the back. The Royal Mint said just 200,000 of these coins were issued. The value of this coin varies, but people have been getting anything between £75 and £108 on the online marketplace eBay.

Kew Gardens 2009

The second rarest 50p coin in circulation, according to Royal Mint, is the Kew Gardens piece released in 2009. Just 210,000 of these were issued, and people selling them on eBay have managed to bag as much as £157, including a sale on March 9.

The coin features a design by Christopher Le Brun to celebrate the famous royal botanical garden with the iconic Chinese pagoda.

Olympic Football 2011

The third rarest coin with a circulation of 1,125,500 is the Olympic football piece released in 2011, which features the games’ Offside Rule. The coin was designed by sports journalist, Neil Wolfson and attempts to answer the question with pitch and markings of what’s offside and what isn’t.

One seller managed to bag as much as £24 for this coin in February.

Olympic Aquatics 2011

Another design released to commemorate the London Olympics, the Olympic Aquatics coin, sold recently for a staggering sum. This rare variation of the coin depicts a swimmer in water, with watery lines appearing across their goggles. Supposedly, only 600 of these ‘lines across the face’ Aquatics 50ps were issued before the design was changed, making them the rarest base metal 50p ever released, according to the Britannia Coin Company.

One of these coins sold for a staggering £245 in early February; however, others sold for between £22 and £30 in other weeks.

Blue Peter 2009

The highly sought-after Blue Peter 50p coin was released in 2009 ahead of the 2012 Olympics. The design, featuring a cartoon of a person participating in the high jump, was created by eight-year-old Florence Jackson. She submitted the drawing to a Blue Peter competition, where it won out of over 17,000 entries. The coin recently sold for £233 on March 2 after 13 bids.

Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at The Royal Mint, urged people to be wary before purchasing a coin on the secondary market. She said: “There are occasional reports of coins selling for large amounts on the secondary market, some of which seem a bit farfetched, so we want to ensure collectors have the right information and pay a fair price.

“A coin is ultimately worth what the collector is willing to pay for it, but there are factors you should consider before committing to a price. This can include the condition of the coin, its design, mintage figure and what it’s made of.”

For those who have a coin and are unsure about its history, rarity or authenticity, Ms Morgan said: “We offer a range of services at The Royal Mint to help establish its likely value and help our customers build a bespoke collection. We also have a wide range of resources on our website to help people learn more about the coins in their pockets and coins they might inherit from family members.”