In August last year, we reported the Football 50p to be the scarcest of the Olympic 50p designs according to our Olympic 50p Swap Centre data. So how have things changed over the last 6 months?
Triathlon is now the most in demand Olympic 50p
Well the news is that Triathlon has kicked Football off the top-spot with the latest information revealing the following are the top 5 most requested designs:
- Triathlon
- Wresting
- Judo
- Football
- Rowing
The Brownlee Effect?
Of course you might be forgiven for thinking that Brownlee brothers’ success at the Olympics boosted demand and perhaps it played a small part. However, the biggest influence is how the Royal Mint has released the coins into circulation.
Unfortunately, we are unlikely to know the final figures of how many of each coin was distributed for another 3 and a half years, when the Royal Mint releases mintage information but I am pretty sure top 5 most wanted will be amongst the lowest mintage numbers.
Of course, in the meantime, if you are looking to complete your Olympic 50p Collection you can register to find other collectors to swap with absolutely FREE at the Olympic 50p Swap Centre.
A 5 cent American coin with a fascinating story dating back one hundred years is due to go down in the history books as one of the highest amounts ever paid for a US coin when it goes up for auction in Chicago on April 25th.
Experts believe bidding for the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel could top $5m due to the fact it’s one of only five known to exist and the remarkable story behind it.
Ill-gotten gains
It’s thought the Liberty Head is one of five bogus coins struck in secret at the end of 1912 by Philadelphia Mint employee Samuel Brown who altered the year on the die to say 1913, the year the Buffalo Nickel was introduced.
Pulled from the wreckage
Brown was rewarded handsomely for his efforts. He sold one of his ‘illegal’ Liberty Heads to a collector from North Carolina, George Walton, in the mid 1940s and made a reported $3,750. But events took another unexpected twist when Walton – and his coin – were involved in a car crash in 1962. Walton himself didn’t survive but his nickel did.
Declared a fake
But the story doesn’t end there. Recovered from the wreckage and passed to Walton’s sister Melva Givens, the coin was declared a fake because the date had been tampered with. Rather than throwing it away, Mrs Givens stuck it in an envelope in a bedroom closet where it remained undiscovered until her death thirty years later.
The missing fifth Liberty Nickel
It wasn’t until 2003 that experts at the World Numismatic Fair in Baltimore finally confirmed the ‘Walton’ Nickel was genuine and it was reunited with the other four coins. It is currently on loan to the Colorado Springs Museum.
A 1933 Double Eagle currently holds the US record when it was sold at auction for a cool $8m.
View The Westminster Collection’s full range of American coins.
It was definitely a case of the luck of the Irish after builders recently discovered one of the country’s biggest ever hoards of gold coins buried beneath the floorboards of a County Tipperary pub.
Eighty-one gold coins, mainly from the 17th century, were found concealed by soil by one of the workmen carrying out groundworks at Cooney’s pub in Carrick-on-Suir, one of the oldest pubs in the county until it was destroyed by fire.
Builders get more than they bargained for – one of Ireland’s biggest finds of historic gold coins
All that glitters
Most coins were, surprisingly, in excellent condition considering they date back to the reign of Charles II, James II and William and Mary. It’s thought the hoard is largely made up of guineas and half guineas, British gold coins struck by The Royal Mint between 1663 and 1814 using gold from West Africa – which is where the name ‘guinea’ came from.
Biggest find in over fifty years
Research is currently underway to identify where the gold coins might have come from. Some experts believe they may have once belonged to a wealthy merchant as the town was a thriving trading centre in the 17th century. Others have different theories.
One thing they do agree on is that the discovery is the most exciting archeological find in Ireland’s history since 1947 when a collection of over 100 gold coins plus a number of silver coins was discovered in CountyLaois.
At the time of writing, it’s not known whether the workmen received any sort of reward but it’s got to be a worth a free pint at the very least!
Interested in historic coins?
The gold coins are currently on display at the National Museum of Ireland. A selection of historic coins from The Westminster Collection can be found here.