How rare is YOUR 50p? Royal Mint reveals most coveted 50p coins

The Royal Mint has revealed the rarest 50p coins currently in circulation – including seven Olympic-themed designs.

It comes ahead of the 50th anniversary of decimalisation, which saw Britain’s currency change from shillings to pounds.

The famous Kew Gardens 50p remains the most coveted coin in circulation, with a mintage of just 210,000.

The famous Kew Gardens 50p (left) remains the most coveted coin in circulation, with a mintage of just 210,000. Right, the 2011 Olympic wrestling coin

2011 Olympic Tennis 50p coin has been minted 1,454,000 times, making it one of the rarest

But other rare designs include Olympic-themed 50ps minted in 2011 ahead of London’s turn to host the sporting event the following year. 

In 2019 more than 500 million coins were released into circulation, including three new 50p designs celebrating Arthur Conon Doyle’s fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, and Paddington Bear at St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London.

Left: The 2011 Olympic Goalball 50p and, right, the Olympic Triathlon 50p are both rare

In 2018, 1,400,000 copies of this Peter Rabbit 50p coin were minted in Britain

The same year as the Peter Rabbit coin, 1,400,000 of these Flopsy Bunny coins were made

The 2011 Olympic Shooting coin, left, and Olympic Judo 50p from the same year

The 50th anniversary of decimalisation is on February 15, with the changeover having inspired many people to become coin collectors over the years.

The Royal Mint’s director of UK currency Mark Loveridge said: ‘Coin collecting remains as popular as ever, and we were delighted to release a number of special designs into circulation in 2019.

‘The Kew Gardens (50p) remains the most coveted coin, with a mintage of just 210,000, but it’s always exciting to find a special design in your change.’