- A new 50p coin celebrating Sherlock Holmes has entered general circulation, meaning the great detective could pop up in your change at any point from now on. If you do find the coin, which bears the deerstalker-and-pipe enthusiast’s silhouette, it could be worth more than face value.
- Each 50p will be emblazoned with the inscription “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations”, as for the former versions of the coin. The Prime Minister will be one of the first to get his hands on the new 50p, when he holds a special cabinet meeting on 31 January at a venue in the north of England. Last and final Update of.
Around two-and-a-half million coins celebrating the contributions ethnic minority communities have made to the UK will enter circulation on Monday.
A brand new UK 50p has been issued today to mark 50 years since Decimal Day! You can secure yours here:W.
The coins will feature the words 'Diversity built Britain', along with a geodome representing connection and strength.
The Treasury says that the new coins show the intent of the Royal Mint and Chancellor Rishi Sunak to feature a wider range of people on coins and notes in the future.
Dominique Evans previously designed coins marking VE Day and the sapphire anniversary of the Queen's coronation, and came up with the new 50p using her experiences of growing up as a mixed-race woman as inspiration.
She said: 'When designing this coin, I began by thinking about the people who inspire me and what diversity has meant in my life. I believe that no matter where you are born, we all belong under the same sky and this was the starting point of the design.
'The background of the coin features a geodome with a series of interconnecting lines and triangles that form a network. Each part is equal, and symbolises a community of connection and strength.'
The coin was commissioned by Mr Sunak after discussions with the We Too Built Britain campaign, which supports fair representation of the contributions of ethnic minority communities.
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He said: 'I have seen first-hand the contribution made by ethnic minority communities to Britain's history.
'This coin, and the rest of the series, will act as a fitting tribute to the very profound impact ethnic minority communities have made on Britain, and I am grateful to the Royal Mint for turning this around at record speed.'
50p Uk To Usd
I have seen first-hand the contribution made by ethnic minority communities to Britain’s history. That is why I backed the “We Too Built Britain” campaign and requested that the @RoyalMintUK introduced this new coin to celebrate it.
Read more: https://t.co/pKjFoUnbqrpic.twitter.com/9FtyRIwMKi
Prime Minister Boris Johnson congratulated Ms Evans, saying: 'Her design is the first in a series of coins the Mint will be producing, celebrating those who have helped shape our national history and culture.'
The government plans to consult with We Too Built Britain and other groups representing ethnic minority communities on the themes of future coins in the series.
The Royal Mint and the West India Committee will also be sending education packs to primary schools in England and Wales following the release of the coins.
Zehra Zaidi, a campaigner who recently attended a roundtable event held by Mr Sunak, said: 'Ethnic minority people, as well as all under-represented groups, need to see themselves represented in British institutions.
'It is a part of an invisible social contract and it can build cohesion, promote a sense of belonging, inspire young people and unite us as a nation, showing that we all have an equal stake in society.
'We are a diverse, modern and global Britain - let's show that. This coin helps bridge our nation's past, its diverse present and its future, looking outward, positively, together.'
A 50p design featuring the Royal Shield of Arms, which was released two years ago, is currently the second rarest 50p coin in circulation behind the 2009 Kew Gardens.
Designs that are produced annually are sometimes overlooked in rankings of rare coins, in favour of ‘commemorative’ pieces – yet less than two million of the Royal Shield of Arms were minted in the year 2017.
Which? reveals the rarest 50p coins and how mintage influences the value of a coin.
What is the rarest 50p coin?
The 2009 Kew Gardens 50p coin remains the rarest of all coins with just 210,000 in circulation.
But if you include definitive coins – meaning those produced annually – then the second rarest 50p design is the 2017 Royal Shield of Arms.
This coin was originally designed by Matthew Dent following a public competition.
According to coin collecting site Change Checker, the Royal Shield of Arms has been issued every year since 2008 apart from 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2016.
The 2017 version is by far and away the rarest, with just 1.8 million minted, in comparison to 10.3 million in 2013, 49 million in 2014 and 39.3 million in 2015.
The third rarest coin in circulation remains the Sir Isaac Newton 50p, which has a release of just 1.8m.
The chart below shows the current rarest 50p designs based on mintage figures from the Royal Mint.
Definitive vs commemorative coins
The Royal Mint issues ‘definitive’ coins every year based on demand. The same design is produced annually, with just the year changing.
These types of coins are sometimes ignored by collectors but in cases such as the Royal Shield of Arms 2017, they can also be extremely rare.
By contrast, commemorative coins are released to mark a particular occasions, person or event, so tend to be a one-off design.
Often, these coins are first released as collector’s editions by the Royal Mint, with some versions then entering general circulation.
Special 50p have been released this year celebrating the anniversary of The Gruffalo, the famous kids’ book Peter Rabbit and the deceased British professor Stephen Hawking.
How does mintage affect a coins value?
Mintage figures can have a massive impact on the coin’s value in the market.
Generally, the harder the coin is for collectors to find, the more they are likely to pay for the coin. This can partly be determined by mintage, but also the popularity of the design.
As the 2012 Olympic coins drop out of circulation by getting lost or snatched up in collections, their value has been increasing, with the football and wrestling designs particularly popular.
Which? has looked at the average price on three recent sales on eBay for particularly rare 50p coins – the Kew Gardens 2009, the Royal Shield of Arms 2017 and the Olympic 2012 wrestling design – and the results are below:
You can see that despite the rarity of the Royal Shield of Arms coin, it doesn’t fetch a huge premium – perhaps because the design doesn’t resonate with the public in the same way.
New 50p Coin
That said, collectors are advised to treat eBay listings with caution.
Some sellers will list coins at an inflated price, or bid on their own product to make it look there’s a bigger demand.
Remember that coins are only worth whatever a buyer is willing to pay for them – even if you’ve found a rare coin, you may not be able to sell it on for a profit.
What else affects the coin’s value?
The value of a coin can also depend on whether a particular design is sought-after or sentimental.
If the coin design is more popular, people are more likely to hang onto the coin and keep it from circulation.
Also the condition of a coin and whether it is from scratches or marks can have a significant impact on its value.
However an error on a coin can have the opposite effect and make them much rarer and more sought after than ‘perfect’ versions.
Last year Which? carried out a three-month investigation into the dark side of the coin investment craze – see our video below to find out which types of coins could be worth investing in, and scams to watch out for.
- Read the full investigation: Revealed: the dark side of the coin investment craze