The Royal Mint has begun the countdown to the fiftieth anniversary of ‘D-day’. Not the World Battle II seaside touchdown, that was in 1944, however ‘decimalisation day’.

On 15 February 1971, UK coinage was reorganised into the way in which we all know immediately, with the outdated system of 12 pence in a shilling and 20 pence in a pound abolished. As an alternative, a pound could be price 100 pence, quite than 240, because it had earlier than.

The UK was barely behind the curve on this, with Russia introducing a decimalised ruble in 1704 and the US in 1792, whereas a earlier effort to take action in Britain failed in 1824.

The Royal Mint has launched a 50p coin to commemorate 50 years because the decimalisation of British coinage in February 1971

The Royal Mint has struck a commemorative 50p to mark the date, though the brand new fashion seven-sided coin was truly launched two years earlier and celebrated its fiftieth birthday in 1969.

Good uncirculated, silver and golf proof variations can be found from the Mint’s web site for £10, £57.50 and £1,100 respectively. 

Limitless numbers of the uncirculated model can be found, whereas the Mint put 6,000 silver and 700 gold variations up on the market.

Nonetheless, these cash are commemorative and won’t enter circulation.

And though the 50p itself is a bit older than decimalisation itself, given its introduction as a part of the identical course of, That is Cash thought it will check out the 5 scarcest ones in circulation forward of the anniversary.

1. The 2011 different swimming 50p

No, it is not the Kew Gardens 50p. Opposite to what’s typically thought, the 2009 coin continuously touted because the rarest round truly is not.

As an alternative that title belongs to an alternatively designed 50p which was purported to be launched alongside 28 different cash forward of the 2012 London Olympics – three of which additionally function in our high 5.

The design truly launched, and struck near 2.18million occasions, encompasses a swimmer’s head away from the water. Nonetheless, earlier than that an unknown variety of different cash have been minted earlier than the design was ditched.

An unknown variety of alternatively designed swimming 50p cash, that includes the swimmer’s head underwater (left), exist and do promote for giant cash

‘These ones have been first launched by WH Smith and had the swimmer’s head coated in wavy traces representing water’, Philip Mussell, of Coin Information journal, mentioned. ‘When it was launched into common circulation these traces had disappeared.

‘There is not any agency mintage figures for that first launch model, solely the general mintage figures for each variations of the swimming coin, however have been you to attempt to purchase one you would be charged wherever from £750 to £900.’

In the meantime That is Cash in August 2019 discovered one had bought on eBay for £590 after a ten day public sale involving 47 bids.

A notice on shortage

Whereas That is Cash has outlined the 5 rarest 50p cash and ranked them merely based on their mintage figures – what number of of them there are – this doesn’t essentially correspond to worth.

As we clarify, the wrestling 50p is relatively much less in demand than another Olympic cash which are literally extra widespread, whereas collectors trying to full a set are likelier to pay greater than a coin’s price to acquire it.

The coin web site Change Checker releases a ‘shortage index’ once in a while which as a substitute lists cash by how in-demand they’re amongst collectors.

In its newest index, launched final November, Kew Gardens topped the checklist, because it does more often than not, however it was adopted by the judo and triathlon 50p cash, which after all are extra widespread than the wrestling and soccer ones.

2. The 2009 Blue Peter Olympic 50p

In silver medal place is one other piece of silver struck forward of Britain’s house video games. 

This time launched in 2009, it exhibits somebody vaulting the excessive bounce excessive bar, and was designed by nine-year-old Florence Jackson because the profitable entry in a Blue Peter competitors.

Simply 19,751 have been launched first time round, earlier than 2.22million extra have been struck two years later.

A particular 50p displaying the excessive bounce was designed by nine-year-old Florence Jackson as a part of a Blue Peter competitors – simply 19,751 variations have been struck in 2009

Collectors want to ensure they’re shopping for the unique design in the event that they’re paying over the chances, as a result of Coin Information’ ‘Spend It? Save It?’ places the worth of the 2011 model as simply £2.

Nonetheless, the 2009 coin is valued at greater than 60 occasions that at £125, whereas at one current eBay public sale it went for £230 after 12 bids, greater than double the £100 beginning value.

3. The 2009 Kew Gardens 50p

The pot of gold on the finish of the rainbow in relation to coin collectors, the 2009 Kew Gardens is the rarest 50p round which was truly minted a considerable variety of occasions, though it was nonetheless struck simply 210,000 occasions.

The coin displaying the Kew Gardens Nice Pagoda was struck in 2009 to commemorate the gardens’ 250th anniversary 

That mintage solely turned broadly identified in late 2014, and is the primary motive why the worth of the coin took off. That is Cash charted its price last year and located between 2009 and 2020 its worth grew 2,733 per cent.

And the worth has grown extra since. Philip Mussell put the worth at round £85 final 12 months however mentioned it now bought for round £90 – £100. 

The Kew Gardens 50p solely turned very wanted as soon as its rarity turned identified. The Royal Mint revealed simply 210,000 have been struck in 2014

However after all you possibly can nonetheless discover individuals keen to pay much more, with current auctions on eBay discovering it the topic of bidding wars which have taken the ultimate value to greater than £150.

4. The 2011 soccer 50p

After the three podium locations, ‘it will get a bit hazy’, Philip Mussell mentioned. ‘There are not any different 50p cash that recurrently fetch greater than face worth just because they have been all produced of their tens of millions.

The 2012 Olympics 50p exhibits explains the offside rule, and is the rarest of all of the 29 Olympic cash

‘There are rarer ones they usually do promote on eBay and on supplier’s lists for greater than 50p however solely as a result of somebody is in search of that individual coin, they do not recurrently fetch massive cash just like the others although.’

However if you happen to have been to take a stab at it, the subsequent rarest is the soccer 50p launched in 2011 together with the 28 different London 2012 cash. It shows the offside rule, and was struck 1.125million occasions. 

Whereas not particularly uncommon by anybody’s calculation, the usual 50p a 12 months later had a mintage of 32.3million by comparability.

‘Spend It? Save It?’ gave it an estimated worth of round £10, not large cash however 20 occasions its face worth, and a few individuals are after all keen to pay extra. 

Latest eBay listings have discovered it promoting for £14.50, £14.65, £16.57 and £17.99, which all characterize a little bit of a premium on that determine.

5. The 2011 wrestling 50p

Rounding out the highest 5 is one other London 2012 coin, this time that includes the game of wrestling.

With a mintage of 1.129million, it is just fractionally extra widespread than the soccer 50p. 

For that motive, ‘Spend It? Save It?’ offers it the identical worth. Nonetheless, That is Cash has persistently discovered the coin has been much less well-liked amongst collectors than its extra considerable friends.

 Regardless of being the second rarest coin after the soccer 50p explaining the offside rule, the wrestling 50p sells for much less on-line than some extra widespread cousins

Not too long ago gross sales have are available underneath this valuation, one thing of an uncommon pattern amongst those that purchase scarce cash on eBay, with current gross sales figures discovering it has bought for £8.99, £6.50, £8 and £6.10.

There hasn’t been a scarcity of bids, however collectors simply aren’t keen to pay that a lot for it.

Royal Mint finds itself in a struggle of the phrases

One other coin the Mint has launched this 12 months hasn’t had fairly such a constructive reception.

The Mint launched a 2021 annual set of 5 cash, together with the decimal day 50p, one among which was a commemorative £2 coin commemorating the author H.G. Wells – best-known for the e-book The Battle of The Worlds.

H.G. Wells followers slammed  the £2 Royal Mint coin commemorating the science fiction novelist after his tripod struggle machines have been seen with a fourth leg

But when the 1897 e-book tells the story of Earth invaded by three-legged Martian tripods, the coin’s design encompasses a creature with 4 legs, sparking a backlash among Wells scholars. 

The creator’s biographer, Adam Roberts, informed The Guardian: ‘It is good to see Wells memorialised, however it will have been nicer for them to get issues proper.’

Critics additionally took challenge with the presentation of one other of Wells’s novels on the coin, The Invisible Man. On the coin the hat is a high hat, however Wells mentioned the character within the novel ‘by no means wore a high hat’.

And lastly a quote inscribed on the coin can be believed to be unsuitable. The coin is edged with ‘Good books are warehouses of concepts’, however the precise quote, from an obscure piece of labor, is ‘Good books are the warehouses of beliefs.’

That is Cash requested the Royal Mint if it thought of pulling the coin from sale on account of the backlash. 

It didn’t reply by the point of publication but when it did so, it’s probably it might see its worth soar as collectors sought to get their fingers on a uncommon ‘error’ coin.