The next time you ‘fish’ out a 50p coin from your wallet it could be worth 260 times its face value – after the Royal Mint revealed a coin depicting the Atlantic Salmon is the rarest in circulation.
His Majesty King Charles III’s official 50p coin, which was unveiled last October, has swam its way to the top of the most collectible coins, according to the latest mintage figures.
Just 200,000 of the silver heptagon-shaped coins were released to UK banks and post offices at the end of last year.
This is in comparison to the former rarest coin in circulation, the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p, of which the Royal Mint released 210,000.
It formerly held the top spot as the rarest coin for 15 years until now.Â
The Atlantic Salmon 50p – which has been seen listed on eBay for between £40 and £130 – forms part of a wider set themed around nature designed to mark King Charles III’s ascension to the throne.
Their ‘flora and fauna’ designs depict creatures such as squirrels and dormice, as well as the national flowers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
King Charles ‘personally approved all the designs and…he was extremely pleased with them’ Caroline Webb, chief marketing officer at the Royal Mint, told the Mail.
The Royal Mint has revealed a 50p coin depicting the Atlantic Salmon is the rarest in circulation
Just 200,000 of the silver heptagon-shaped coins were released to UK banks and post offices at the end of last year
The 2009 Kew Gardens 50p is the next rarest, with 210,000 currently in circulation
Chris Barker, information and research manager at the Royal Mint Museum, explained ‘This really is a watershed moment for the British coinage tradition, because if you go back in the history, it tends to be dominated by heraldry.Â
‘In this instance, you’ve got a complete break from that, heraldry is by and large gone from these designs and we’re now showing flora and fauna as a complete set for pretty much the first time in our nation’s history.’
As the nation’s most collectable coin, the 50p has seen over 100 different designs appear on its reverse (tails) since its introduction.Â
These include special designs for the 2012Â London Olympic and Paralympic Games and milestone Royal occasions such as His Majesty King Charles III coronation.
Rebecca Morgan, director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint said: ‘The releasing of mintage figures is an eagerly anticipated event among the coin collecting community – and this year is particularly exciting as we reveal the Atlantic Salmon as the rarest 50p in circulation.Â
‘For the first time in 15 years, the highly collectable Kew Gardens 50p loses its top spot as the rarest in circulation with the Atlantic Salmon 50p splashing its way to number one.
‘2023 marked pivotal changes for the nation’s coinage, including the introduction of coins celebrating King Charles III’s coronation entering circulation.Â
‘Finding these special designs, like the Atlantic Salmon, in your change is a win for all collectors.’
A 50p coin showing Olympic Football, designed in 2011, has 1,125,500 in circulation
A coin showing Olympic wrestling is the fourth rarest 50p coin currently in circulation
A coin showing the Olympic judo event, to mark the London 2012 games, is in fifth place
This 50p coin was designed to mark the triathlon event at the London Olympics in 2012
A commemorative 50p coin depicting the beloved character Peter Rabbit, designed in 2018
A coin showing Flopsy Bunny is equally rare, with 1,400,000 in circulationÂ
Olympic tennis made it onto ninth place in the rarest 50p list released by the Royal Mint
Olympic goalball is on the list at number 10, with 1,615,500 now known to be in circulation
In October, the ‘most highly prized 50p in existence’ caused a mini bidding war on eBay and eventually sold for £4,000.
Designed in 2011 and previously described by the Royal Mint as ‘extra special’, the coin, which marked the London Olympic Games and depicted aquatics, was reportedly sold for 8,000 times its face value.
Creator Jonathan Olliffe depicted an image of a swimmer in action on the tail side with fluid lines struck into the metal representing the waves.
However, the original version had lines covering the swimmer’s face and it was only after its release that it was tweaked to make the features more visible.
The Royal Mint said: ‘One of the most exciting aspects of this special 50p is that no one knows exactly how many entered circulation before the changes were made, only that numbers are extremely limited.Â
‘This is often the case with error coins, and they immediately become a collectable piece.Â
‘Few have ever been sold and many take pride of place in private collections, but there’s always a chance this valuable coin could find its way to you.’
Another 2012 London Olympics 50p coin – depicting a cartoon high-jumper drawn by a nine-year-old Florence Jackson – sold on eBay for a staggering £216.Â
The Royal Mint unveiled eight new coins to mark the reign of King Charles III last October
The obverse of the 50p coin features the head of King Charles III looking to the left
The individual who listed the coin received 26 bids on the coin before finalising the sale on September 14.
The image was drawn by the schoolgirl for a competition organised by the long-running children’s TV show Blue Peter.
The 50 pence piece is the largest of any British coin allowing space for decorative pictures, meaning it has become the most valued and collected coin in the UK.
