Do you own the UK’s rarest 50p piece? And it’s not Kew Gardens.
Last week a 50p coin that many thousands of people have found in their daily pocket change started to be sold on e-Bay for prices upward of £100.00. Or to put it another way, 200 times its actual value!
Only 109,000 1992 EC 50p were issued into circulation – roughly half of the Kew Gardens 50p.
It was all because the Royal Mint announced that the Kew Gardens 50p coins is the UK’s most scarce circulation coin, with just 210,000 pieces ever been placed into circulation. The result was a media storm and the inevitable overnight ramping of prices.
Half the circulation of the Kew Gardens 50p
But what few people realise is that there is an even rarer UK 50p piece that was issued in half the number of the Kew Gardens coin – just 109,000 coins.
The coin was issued in 1992 to mark the EC Single Market and the UK presidency of the Council of Ministers – perhaps not the most popular of topics, which maybe was the reason so very few were pushed out into circulation. But of course, its lack of popularity at the time, is the very thing that now makes its Britain’s rarest 50p coin.
Sadly, however hard you search, unlike the Kew Gardens 50p, you will not find this one in your change. That’s because it is one of the old-sized 50p coins that were demonetised in 1998.
The coin itself was designed by Mary Milner Dickens and pictures the UK’s place at the head of the Council of Ministers’ conference table. The stars represent each of the nations’ capital cities placed in their relative geographical position.
But it won’t be the coin’s clever design that will guarantee its numismatic interest for years to come. It is its status as the UK’s most rare circulation 50p is what will intrigue collectors and have them searching and saving up in years to come.
Are you interested in owning the UK’s rarest 50p coin?
The 1992 EC Single Market 50p
Limited stocks of the 1992 EC 50p coin are available from The Westminster Collection for £20.
NOW SOLD OUT
ok not sure if what i posted went up so will try again lol i think i have an error 50p vc coin ,any value on it?
hi i have a 2006 victoria cross 50p ,i think its an error coin-parts of the rim is flat ,wanted to know what value if any does it have?
Hi I have a bejamin brittan 50p. Can anyone tell me why on ebay, are some for sale for up to 5,000, and some are for sale for as little as 1.00
I found a 2013 Benjamin Britten 50p coin. Ice seen them sell for lots can some 1 tell me a bit more about it please.
i have quite a good collection of 50p s including 2 benjamin britten & a kew gardens coin now i would like to sell them all
I’ll have the Kew Gardens one off you.
Thx
Mike
hi i have a Bejamin Britten 50p coin is it a rare coin ???
Hi Suzanne,
Change Checker recently blogged about Benjamin Britten 50p’s and their value – it’s worth a read!
Click here to check it out
Thanks!
I’m selling a Benjamin Britten 50p rare coin ??
The reason why the Benjamin Britten 50p is so “desirable” is the fact that its the only 50p (when I last checked) with the persons full name on other than The Queen, but its mintage was well in to the millions. That would explain why people think its rare I believe
50p
how much would the Benjamin Britten sell for in manchester??
I have a 2013 benjamin britten 50p that I’m looking to sell. How much should I be asking for?
same here
Hi Ethan
Check out this blog on Benjamin Britten 50p’s and their value – it should help!
Click here
Thanks