50p Collection

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50p Collection Book
Paddington Bear 50p Collection
50p Collectible Coins
50p Coins In Circulation Check Your Change
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Rare 50p Coins are the most collected coins from general circulation in the UK by British coin collectors. Some fifty pence coins have a low mintage figure making them rare coins that are hard to find in your pocket change. The series with the most popularity is the 2011 Olympic 50p coin collection. Representing 29 Olympic and Paralympic sports, the coins’ designs were drawn from 30,000 entries in a.

Paddington Bear was created by British author Michael Bond with the first book published in 1958. Fifty years later, in 2018, The Royal Mint celebrated the first six decades of the loveable character with two 50p coins, and two more 50p coins followed in 2019:

2018 - Paddington at Buckingham Palace 50p
2018 - Paddington at the Station 50p
2019 - Paddington at the Tower of London
2019 - Paddington at St Paul's

The first two Paddington 50p coins were issued on 18 June 2018 and The Royal Mint has now revealed the number of coins issued into general circulation during that year.

The Paddington at Buckingham Palace 50p was issued in the following formats:

Circulation coins (mintage of 5,001,000)
Brilliant Uncirculated
Silver Proof (limited to 60,000)

The Paddington at the Station 50p was issued in the following formats:

Circulation coins (mintage of 5,901,000)
Brilliant Uncirculated
Silver Proof (limited to 60,000)

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So how rare are the 2018 Paddington Bear 50p coins?

The circulation coins are not very rare due to the mintage figure of over 5 million. In comparison, only 210,000 copies of the highly collectable 2009 Kew Gardens 50p coins were minted.

In short, the Paddington Bear 50p coins you find in your change are worth about… 50p. But why not put them aside and add them to your 50p collection?

The Brilliant Uncirculated coins are being sold by The Royal Mint for £10, and the Silver Proof has a retail price of £60.

2019 Paddington Bear 50p coins

In 2019, two further Paddington Bear 50p coins were issued, this time showing him outside the Tower of London and St Paul's Cathedral, respectively. Once again, the coins are available in similar formats:

The Paddington at the Tower 50p was issued in the following formats:

Circulation coins (mintage not yet known)
Brilliant Uncirculated (£10 from The Royal Mint)
Silver Proof (limited to 25,000, retails for £65)

The Paddington at St Paul's 50p was issued in the following formats:

Circulation coins (mintage not yet known)
Brilliant Uncirculated (£12.99 from ChangeChecker)
Silver Proof (limited to 60,000, £65)
Gold Proof (limited to 600 copies, and selling for £945)

These coins are no longer available at The Royal Mint but Change Checker stock a range of Paddington 50p products in Brilliant Uncirculated quality which you can secure for your collection here >>

So why were some Paddington coins sold for thousands on eBay?

Back in 2018, a small number of the Paddington Bear 50p coins were issued early, giving collectors the chance to get their hands on the pieces before they were officially released.

Some of these first coins were put up for sale on eBay attracting interest from the national newspapers, who often report on sales of 50p coins.

One coin even had a price of £16,000… but don't believe the hype! The coin will not have sold for this much, and as soon as the coins were released these early coins lost any additional value they may have had.

It's often the case that newspapers report on modern coins selling for hundreds or thousands on eBay, but there's usually an explanation that means it's more a case of sellers 'trying their luck' rather than any bonafide rarity. As ever, buyer beware, know the facts before you spend your money.

50p Collection Book

In celebration of this significant anniversary, The Royal Mint issued not one, but TWO Decimal Day 50ps in 2021. The reverse designs are the same, but that certainly can’t be said for their obverses…

The first version of the Decimal Day 50p, available exclusively in the 2021 Annual Coin Set, features the original Arnold Machin portraitof Her Majesty The Queen on the obverse – the same obverse used for the UK’s very first decimal coins.

Rare 50p Coins, Worth, Dates, Designs, Value – Collectable 50 ...

However, the individual coin which was released later in January, featured Jody Clark’s fifth portrait of The Queen instead.

So why did The Royal Mint revert back to the Queen’s first decimal effigy for this new issue? Join Change Checker as we take a closer look…

Spot the Difference

Both versions of the 2021 Decimal Day 50p. Left: 50p available in the Annual Set, Right: 50p available in the Annual Set. individually released

The 50p available in the Annual Setwhich features the original Machin portrait on the obverse, quickly caught the eyes of collectors as this was the first time we have seen The Royal Mint revert a previous portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II on a base metal UK coin.

Marking 50 years since our UK coins went decimal, it seemed only fitting that this coin should include Machin’s obverse design.

But, when the Decimal Day 50p was individually released later in January, collectors had the opportunity to get their hands on a second version of this coin, as Jody Clark’s portrait of The Queen featured on the obverse.

So with two versions of the 2021 UK Decimal Day 50p out there, this coin is set to become a real talking point among collectors!

Arnold Machin Portrait

The significance of this anniversary and the fact that the Machin portrait of HM QEII was the first to be used on the UK’s 50p, makes for the perfect excuse to revert back to this previous effigy on the exclusive Decimal Day 50p within the Annual Set.

The UK’s very first decimal coins (5p, 10p, followed by 50p) actually entered circulation before 1971 and as they were circulating together with pre-decimal currency, a new portrait of The Queen was commissioned to help the new coins stand out.

Paddington Bear 50p Collection

Arnold Machin’s new portrait showed The Queen wearing a tiara given to The Queen by her grandmother, Queen Mary.

We love the fact that collectors have the chance to see this previous portrait reused on this brand new 50p and it certainly makes for interesting collecting!

Have you secure both versions of the 2021 Decimal Day for your collections? Let us know in the comments below!

But that’s not all, as this is not the first time we’ve seen different obverses used on the same coin…

2015 Battle of Britain 50p

In 2015, The Battle of Britain 50p shot to fame as collectors were quick to spot that there were THREE different versions of the coin, with different obverses on each of them.

Left: Brilliant Uncirculated edition with Ian Rank-Broadley’s portrait and no denomination. Right: Circulated edition with Jody Clark’s portrait and the 50 PENCE denomination.

Left: Silver Proof edition with Jody Clark’s portrait and no denomination. Right: 2019 Brilliant Uncirculated edition, issued in the 50th anniversary of the 50p Military Set, with Jody Clark’s portrait and the 50 PENCE denomination.

The Brilliant Uncirculated 50p was issued early in 2015 and was quickly dubbed an ‘error’ coin. The coins, which were sold in presentation packs, had been struck without the denomination in either numbers or writing anywhere on the coin. Chancers were quick to play to this, with some managing to sell on the coins for near to £100 each on the secondary market.

After the controversy surrounding the coin erupted, the Royal Mint confirmed that the 50p intended for circulation later on in the year would have the ’50 PENCE’ denomination. But was this after they had realised their mistake?

So how did this coin end up with three different obverses?

Each version of this coin has caused a stir in the collecting world. Not only does this Battle of Britain 50p fail to feature a denomination on the Brilliant Uncirculated version, but the obverse is different for each finish used for the coin – a first for a UK commemorative coin.

50p Collectible Coins

In 2019, a brand new re-issued Brilliant Uncirculated version of the Battle of Britain 50p (from the 2019 50th Anniversary of the 50p Military Set) saw Jody Clark’s portrait and the 50 PENCE denomination – making this the FOURTH version of this 50p!

50p Coins In Circulation Check Your Change

Do you have any of the Battle of Britain 50p coins? Let us know in the comments below!

Secure the 2021 Annual Set with the Decimal Day 50p that features the original Arnold Machin obverse!

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Own ALL FIVE brand new 2021 coins in superior collector quality for JUST £40.00 (+p&p).

Each coin has been struck to a superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality and protectively encapsulated in official Change Checker packaging, within in a Change Checker Display Page – perfect to slot into your Change Checker Album.

Order today to own the 2021 Commemorative coin Set in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality by clicking here >>