Celebrate The Royal Mint’s successful Decimal Day with a new 50p commemorative coin that brings the old to mind, carefully selected pre-decimal coins, and sets that bring a sense of nostalgia to the occasion 2021 Annual Coin Sets.

1. Royal Mint Coins 2020

For many, the 2012 Olympic 50p collecting sensationkick started their interest in coins. In fact, millions rose to the challenge of collecting all 29 designs, and we now know that as many as 75% of the Olympic 50p coins have been removed from circulationby collectors.

But that was only the start…

Since then, the nation has been gripped by the latest Royal Mint releases, with collectors eagerly hunting down the most sought-after coins as they are released, as well as searching for the scarcest coins in circulation and the rarest of the rare error coins that you could be lucky enough to find in your change.

1. The Royal Mint is a government-owned mint that produces coins for the United Kingdom. Operating under the legal name The Royal Mint Limited, the mint is a limited company that is wholly owned by Her Majesty's Treasury and is under an exclusive contract to supply all the nation's coinage.
2. Gold sovereign coins from the British Royal Mint have been struck every year since 650 C.E. At that time there were several mints across the country. Around 1540, the remaining mints closed and the Royal Mint we know today was the only left in operation. In 1663, striking coins by hand was finally abandoned with the introduction of screw.

As the public’s interest in coin collecting continues to grow, we’ve decided to take a look at the top 10 coins collectors are after right now and explain to you exactly why these coins are so sought-after.

1) 2017 Sir Isaac Newton 50p

Voted as both Change Checker’s favourite coin design of 2017 and Change Checker’s top historically significant coin, the 2017 Sir Isaac Newton 50p has the second lowest mintage figure for any commemorative 50p coin in circulation, with just 1,801,500 coins being struck.

Designed by Aaron West, this 50p coin was issued in 2017 to commemorate the achievements of Sir Isaac Newton and remembers the legacy he has left, 350 years after his birth in 1667. Sir Isaac Newton is widely recognised as one of themost influential scientists of all time and a key figure in the scientific revolution. He changed our understanding of mathematics and physics, redefined the way we see the world and shaped the security of our currency in his role as Master of the Mint.

In January 2018, The Royal Mint announced the 2018 Sir Isaac Newton 50p coin but the ONLY place to get hold of one was at The Royal Mint Experience in Llantrisant, Wales! Interestingly, these 2018 dated coins will not be released into circulation.

2) A-Z of Great Britain 10p coins

We were incredibly excited to reveal the 26 new A to Z of Great Britain 10p coins to the public following The Royal Mint’s surprise release in March 2018. Since then they have created quite a stir in the world of coin collecting…

An initial early release of 2.6 million coins set collectors to frantically hunting down these coins in their change. In October 2018, another 2.6 million were released, and in 2019 their have been a further 2.1 million released, bringing the total number of coins in circulation to 7.3 million.

However, split evenly over the 26 designs, this still only brings the mintage figure for each coin to around 280,000 – only slightly more than the UK’s scarcest 50p coin in circulation! To find out which 10p is most sought-after, we’ve added the A-Z 10ps to our Scarcity Index charts to reveal the scarcest 10p design to look out for.

3) 2020 Team GB 50p

In 2020, The Royal Mint issued its Commemorative Coin Set, including a 50p celebrating Team GB’s participation in the Tokyo Olympics.

As the news broke that the 2020 Olympic Games would be postponed until 2021 due to the worldwide pandemic, collectors were soon asking the question, “What will happen to the 2020 Team GB 50p?”

As the 2020 Team GB 50p was never individually released, it was confirmed this too would be postponed, in line with the Olympic Games. This means that there will be both a 2020 and a 2021 dated Team GB 50p by the time it is individually released next year.

Demand for the 2020 version of the Team GB 50p is already high, as it is only available as part of the Annual Set, meaning far fewer will be minted than if it were individually released.

These coins have already been selling on the secondary market for well over their face value and this demand is sure to increase when we see the release of the individual 2021 dated Team GB 50p.

4) Kew Gardens 50p

The Kew Gardens 50p hit the headlines in February 2014 when it was revealed as the most scarce 50p in circulation, with a mintage figure of just 210,000. At the peak of the hype surrounding its value, some coins were exchanging hands for hundreds of pounds!

This incredibly sought-after 50p remains top of our 50p Scarcity Index and is still selling for around £102 on ebay, as you can see from our Ebay Tracker.

In 2019 the Kew Gardens was re-issued in Brilliant Uncirculated quality as part of the 50th Anniversary of the 50p Culture Set.

The Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew are a UNESCO World Heritage Site which boast 4.5 acres of gardens under glass as well as a soaring treetop walkway. One of the garden buildings is a Chinese Pagoda built in 1761 which features on the design of this scarce commemorative 50p.

5) Undated 20p

In 2008, the undated 20p became the first coin in over 300 years to enter circulation without a date, and when the story broke in the press, it caused a frenzy not just in the collecting world but amongst the general public who realised they stood just as good a chance as anyone of pulling one out of their change.

Matthew Dent’s new UK coin designs featured a different part of the Royal Arms Shield on each denomination, and the new 20p devoted the entire reverse face to the design, meaning a new die with the date on the obverse (Queen’s head) side was created. However, when the new Royal Shield 20p coins were struck for circulation, the old die was accidentally used, meaning a batch was issued with no date on either side of the coin.

Coins with mismatched sides like these are known in the collecting world as ‘mules’ and are highly coveted, but The Royal Mint confirmed in a statement that no more than 250,000 coins made it into circulation.

6) 2020 Peter Rabbit 50p

Issued during a world pandemic, this Peter Rabbit 50p is arguably the forgotten coin of 2020.

It was confirmed to be the very last UK Peter Rabbit 50p in the series of coins celebrating 150 years since the birth of renowned children’s author, Beatrix Potter, which sadly brought his UK 50p tale to an end.

Unfortunately, masked by the events of a worldwidepandemic, the significance of this coin’s issue was missed.

Its reverse features a design of an original Beatrix Potter illustration of Peter Rabbit, scrambling under Mr. McGregor’s fence, an iconic image from Potter’s tale.

The2020 Peter Rabbit 50pdid not enter general circulation and was issued only in collector quality.

7) Benjamin Britten 50p

This 50p design was issued to commemorate the centenary of the birth of British Composer, Benjamin Britten in 1913, and features celebratory words from Tennyson set against a double stave – referencing the piano on which Britten was a virtuoso. Whilst this 50p was initially somewhat overlooked when it was first released, it hit the headlines back in 2016 when press articles revealed the coin being listed on ebay for over £800.

Sadly, ebay is not always a fair indicator of value, as anyone can list a coin at whatever price they choose. So when one collector found this slightly unusual coin in their change and listed it on eBay for an outrageous price, others soon followed, leading people to believe that the coin indeed had a high value. In fact, the Benjamin Britten 50p is actually quite common and you’ll likely come across the coin in your change without having to pay £800!

8) Commonwealth Games NI £2

In 2002, four £2 coins were issued to mark the Commonwealth Games, held in Manchester which, prior to the Olympic Games in London in 2012, was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK.

There are four different designs of the £2 commemorative coin and all are similar except that the central cameo features a different flag for the four constituent countries of the UK. They are some of the scarcest £2 coins now in circulation, with even the largest mintage (Scotland) set at just 771,750. Trying to tell the difference between the coins is tricky, however the one you’ll really want to be looking out for is the Northern Ireland £2. Just 485,000 coins were ever struck, making it officially the UK’s rarest £2 coin.

9) 1994 Mayflower Trial £2

The bi-metallic style of the £2 coin was first issued for general circulation in 1997. However, the very first version was actually struck in 1994 as a trial piece and was never legal tender.

This trial £2 coin was only ever issued in a presentation pack and was billed as “The United Kingdom’s first bi-colour coin”. There were only 4,500 packs ever issued which makes the 1994 Trial £2 coinan incredibly rare example of a bi-metallic coin.

The £2 coin with the lowest mintage currently in circulation is the 2002 Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland design, with a mintage of 485,500. This means the 1994 trial piece is more than 100 times rarer than the rarest £2 coin in circulation!

10) 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p

The 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p overtook the 2016 Jemima Puddle-Duck 50p as the joint second rarest 50p when the 2018 mintage figures were released (excluding the Olympic 50ps). The 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p and 2018 Flopsy Bunny 50p have a mintage of just 1,400,000!

In fact, the 2018 Peter Rabbit, Flopsy Bunny and Mrs Tittlemouse have lower mintages than any of the previous Beatrix Potter coins issued in 2016 and 2017.

The 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p coin was issued to carry on the celebrations of one of Beatrix Potter’s famous animals and the first of Beatrix Potter’s 23 children’s tales ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’.

As a Change Checker, there’s nothing more satisfying than finding a rare coin to complete your collection, and I’m sure you’ll agree that some of the coins mentioned above would make for an extra special find if you came across them in your change.

But have you been lucky enough to find any of these top 10 coins? Let us know in the comments below.

Which coins are missing from your collection?

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The Royal Mint is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint, the coins of the United Kingdom. The Royal Mint originated over 1100 years ago, producing coins for England and eventually Great Britain.

Since 2010 it has operated as Royal Mint Ltd, a company owned by HM Treasury, under an exclusive contract to supply all coinage for the UK. Royal Mint Ltd is 100% owned by HM Treasury, though the latter delegates shareholder responsibilities to the Shareholder Executive.

As well as minting coins for the UK, The Royal Mint also mints and exports coins to many other countries and produces military medals, commemorative medals, and other such items for governments, schools and businesses, being known as the world's leading exporting mint.

Responsibility for the security of the site falls to the Ministry of Defence Police, who provide an armed contingent.

In 1968 The Royal Mint began to move its operations from Tower Hill in the City of London to Llantrisant, Mid Glamorgan, Wales, and has operated on a single site in Llantrisant since 1980. At Llantrisant it holds an extensive collection of coins dating from the 16th century onwards, housed in eighty cabinets made by Elizabeth II's cabinet maker, Hugh Swann. The site occupies 38 acres (15 ha) and employs 765 people.

The annual Trial of the Pyx assays coins produced for the UK government for size, weight and chemical composition.

Royal Mint Coins 2020

The Royal Mint also manufactures bullion products under 'The Royal Mint Refinery' brand. The Royal Mint Refinery marque dates back to 1852. Operated for more than 100 years by N.M. Rothschild and Sons, it became an established brand with a strong reputation for handling much of the gold and silver bullion sent to London from across the globe for processing under the RMR label. Royal Mint Refinery became a trustworthy name that survived the First and Second World Wars and served an ever evolving bullion market until production ceased in 1968. The Royal Mint Refinery brand was revived by The Royal Mint in 2015, when it stared issuing gold and silver bars. The range was later expanded to minted bars carrying themes from the bullion coinage ranges of the Royal Mint (e.g. Britannia, James Bond etc.).