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The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

Posted on the 14 June 2018 by Martins97

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Are you curious about the value your coins possess? Have you heard that some rare British coins are worth thousands of pounds, why not have a look through your money jar to find rare UK coins that are special!

We, at make money 2000 have compiled a list of the most valuable coins at the moment. You just might have some or all of them in your piggy bank or money jar, do you?

In recent years, there have been a high number of pre-decimal and decimal coins that have increased in value by up to several thousand per cent to their very uncommon. Here are some rare coins UK and their estimated values.

Remember, a 20p coin with no date was sold for hundreds of pounds. Also, a 2p coin that was sold and is still selling for a small fortune. Want to participate? Look through your old clothes, the back of your sofa or through your wallets to see if there are any coin change left to sell for a greater value that surpass the amount stamped on them.

Rare British coins

The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

Is your rare £2 coin worth a fortune?

Rare British coins:Commonwealth £2

This is a special coin made for a particular purpose- to commemorate the Northern Ireland 2002 Commonwealth Games. This is one of the rarest forms of £2 out there, as fewer than 500,000 were minted. Depending on the seller and state of the coin, it can sell from £15 and £25.

'Typo' Guy Fawkes coin

The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

In 2005, the Royal Mint released 50p to commemorate the 400 th anniversary of the Gunpowder plot but not all coins came out with good inscriptions; some had bad typos that read "Pemember, pemember the Fifth of November: rather than "Remember, remember the Fifth of November". They can be sold online for prices that range from £5 to £7.

Charles Dickens £2

The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

These were released in 2012 to commemorate the 200th birthday of the famous author, with the reverse of the coin featuring the titles of his better known books. These can now sell online for around £4, sometimes more if in particularly good condition.

The valuable 50ps Rare British Coins

Olympic Swimmer 50p

The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

The original Olympic qcquatic coin with wavy lines across the swimmer's face has become an hobby for a lot of Brits because only 600 were released before the designs was changed.

Now, 600 is a very small number in the coin world and this explains why rare 50p Olympic coins can be sold for at least £800 and as high as you can sell for(use your imagination).

Rare British coins:Kew Garden 50p

The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

This rare UK coin known for its stamped Kew Gardens Pagoda is quite a rare coin in the UK, with only 210,000 minted as compared to a standard minting of around 5 million. As a collectible, it can be sold for £30-£50. There was a time when the demand for this UK rare coin was through the roof; collector's then sold them for as high as £120.

Peter Rabbit 50p

The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

These lovely looking Beatrix Potter coins were released only to a small number of attractions and National Trust properties and the Royal Mint has not revealed precisely how many it has minted.

Some Peter Rabbit 50p is sold online from £5 to £15. There have been reports that recent sellers have been trying to raise up the price to a few hundred pounds. There are also special editions featuring a range of Beatrix Potter animals also available in colour-and-they can be purchase through the Royal Mint for £55.

Rare British coins:The Euro 50p

The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

The Euro 50p is a 1992 50p piece with a distinct feature: 12 stars that represents the EC Single Market. It can be sold online for £50-£55. These are old-fashioned coins so you probably don't own one if you are born in 20's, but it could be worth it to check your parents' penny jars.

WWF 50p

The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

This rare British coin minted for a commemorative function is being sold online for more than £10.

Want to know the funny part?

People still buy the coin even though it's no longer in good mint condition. You have to be careful when buying coins such as this because a good number of these standard coins are tagged with massively inflated price tags online. Nevertheless, a few of the rarer editions are selling for hundreds of pounds- so take your time and exercise patience when comparing; never rush to buy what you are unsure of.

The Rare £1 coins Value

The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

The introduction of the new £1 meant that there are very few versions left.

But that doesn't mean that there is none in the world.

You can spot out "TRAIL COINS" by their dates (2015 or 2016).

The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

Another valuable way to make a coin value rise up is when a mistake is discovered-so seek out mistakes.

There have been a couple of examples of what looks like the new £1 designs being stamped on old £1 designs blanks.

The first one ever recorded was sold for £205 on eBay after receiving 22 bids

Coppers

Recently, there had been suggestions by people that connotes that the UK might stop using pennies in the future, as the world is changing and most of them appear to be worthless.

Nevertheless, there are coppers being sold for more than they cost; these are far from being worthless if you ask me.

Rare British coins:Silver 2p

Poppy collectors were given a 2p coin that they assumed was fake because it was made of silver. However, it turned out to be an insanely and valuable "minting error", where a blank 10p was accidentally cast as a 2p.

It was later auctioned for more than £1,400

The Legion auctioned it for more than £1,400 - but the donor probably didn't even notice.

'New pence' two pence

The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

The normal thing for every 2p coins minted before 1982 is that they should say "new pence", while those created after the date should say "two pence".

However, an early error has revealed that a good number of rare 2p coins from 1983 still show "new pence", meaning coins with that year stamped on can still be sold for several hundreds of pounds.

All 2p coins minted before 1982 say 'new pence', while those stamped after that date should say 'two pence'.

Rare 10p coins

In 1968, the original 10p was first issued as a much larger, silver coin but in the year 1992, there was a reduction in size of the 10p-it became smaller, lighter and more convenient to carry around; they are considered as legal tender in today's world.

Printing over 2.6 million, the Royal Mint introduced a collection of 26 'alphabet' 10p coins into circulation in March 2018. Each of these coins represented different British tradition.

These included the cricket, Post office and even zebra crossing- but coin experts at Change Checker believe five of them will become very rare to get hold of as a result of their popularity.

The ones to watch out for include:

  • E for English Breakfast
  • F for Fish and Chips
  • J for James Bond
  • L for Loch Ness Monster
  • T for Teapot

Rare British coins:The undated 20p

In 2008, the Royal Mint printed around 250,000 20p pieces with no date on them.

Rare 2p coins serve as a legal tender and can be used to purchase a Freddo(suppose you have another 5p) but you'd be better off not selling them-as-they-are still being sold for as much as £100 online.

Rare 5p coins

The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

Introduced in the year 1990, the new 5p became one of the first breed of silver coins with features such as a smaller size and a lighter weight. It is no doubt that it beats the old coin it replaced. Plus, it was minted in massive numbers.

The rare 5p witnessed over a billion production in its first year (that's one hell of a production), and subsequent mintages done were in the hundreds of millions.

This means that most of the coins are worth 5 pence's but there are two valuable ones out there:

  • 5p coins from 1993 and
  • Rare 5p error coins from 2008

Rare British coins:5p coins from 1993

What should I do if I see 1993 on a 5p coin?

Keep it! Its value has increased. The year 1993 is the only year where tens of millions weren't produced, with none released for general circulation and fewer than 60,000 made for annual sets.

Sadly, you won't be making a fortune by finding and selling one- with recent examples sold on eBay for a price not more than £13.50-but that's still more than 5p, wouldn't you agree?

Rare 5p error coins from 2008

The Royal Mint released 250,000 date-free 20ps in 2008. These coins are famous for being struck upside down as compared to the front.

These are very rare, and sell for more than £50 on eBay online, so it's always worth checking them.

Are commemorative coins worth it?

The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

To mark anniversaries, special occasions and the likes, the Royal Mint releases commemorative coins that don't circulate and are frequently sold for big bucks.

Plus, they also don't frequently increase in value either.

Rare coins coming in 2018

The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

The last couple of years has witnessed an increase in an almost immediate disappearance of coins upon their arrival as collectors rush to collect them all.

However, if you have a clear understanding of what you are looking for, you might have a higher chance of finding one. Here's a list of UK coins you need to watch out for:

  • Dr Frankenstein's monster £2 coin - An intriguing novel featuring a doctor playing the God. The coin will be minted to celebrate Mary Shelley whose short novel tells a beautiful tale of life creation. A special edition of £2 coin will be released to the public to celebrate the legend.
  • 100 years of women voting 50p - Before a century ago, women were not given the right to vote, but, things changed a century ago after the Representation of the People Act was passed in 1918, allowing women over age 30 to vote. The anniversary will be celebrated with a special 2018 UK 50p coin.
  • The end of the "war to end all wars" £2 coin -To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War armistice, the Royal Mint is releasing a £2 coin.
  • The birth of the RAF £2 coin - 2018 also marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Air Force and to honour it, the Royal Mint is releasing a special Royal Air Force £2 coin
  • Peter Rabbit and friends - This collection continues to run, with the Royal Mint set to release four more Peter Rabbit inspired coins in silver and colour. This will include yet another Peter Rabbit, seconded by Flopsy Bunny, Mrs Tittlemouse and a helpful mouse from "The Tailor of Gloucester". All will be made available to purchase on the Royal Mint website.

Does this article look like too much information to digest?

You should print out and carry this article in your purse or wallet. The change checker website also allows you to quickly see coins and their scarcity- as well as see regular blog posts that have become popular with coin collectors.

How often do coins in circulation suddenly become 'valuable'?

The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

Coins in circulation suddenly become rare British coins when:

  • There is a mistake made by the Royal Mint, like a 20p without a date, for example, or a 1983 2p coin printed with embarrassing old words like "New Pence".
  • There are limited edition releases or redesigns. For example, an Olympic 50p with a swimmer was recently released after the designer found out that the swimmer has waves obscuring her face and so they released another, this time with a clear face.

If I find a collectable coin what should I do?

The Most Valuable and Rare British Coins Price Guide

The "perfect time to sell" so to say, is when the media storm breaks and the value- and demand- hits the roof!

Rare coins UK like the 1983 2p are very rare that their price might shoot up as a result of inflation.

How do I spot the valuable coins?

The easiest and simplest way to discover rare UK coins is to read about them, because the more you do so, the more likely you are to spot them.

The news of a coin with no dates can quickly go viral when discovered but you can find out more about coins collectors want by reading Coin News or following them on twitter @coinsandmedals.


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