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- Atlantic Salmon 50p coins can fetch up to £70 on eBay and will continue to rise
- A 10x bag of coins has attracted bids of £850 on eBay
A 50p coin featuring an image of an Atlantic salmon and a portrait of King Charles is now the rarest 50p coin in circulation, the Royal Mint has revealed.
The latest mintage figures reveal that only 200,000 of these coins were delivered to UK banks and post offices at the end of last year.
This means that the Atlantic salmon 50p coin has for the first time overtaken the legendary 2009 Kew Gardens 50p coin as the rarest coin in circulation, and with it, experts predict that could increase its value.
Making waves: The Royal Mint has announced that the 50p Atlantic Salmon coin is now the best-priced coin in circulation
A total of 210,000 2009 Kew Gardens coins were put into circulation 15 years ago, making them the rarest 50p coin in circulation.
If you are lucky enough to find a 2009 Kew Gardens 50p coin in your change, on eBay these coins can fetch upwards of £150.
But now, Atlantic salmon coins are listed on eBay for upwards of £50 to £70, and that’s just a drop in the bucket.
One coin has a buy now price of £500, while keen collectors are offering upwards of £50 for individual 50p coins.
Coins from a sealed bag reach the highest bids on eBay.
A currently active listing with 11 coins in a sealed bag, 10 of which are Atlantic Salmon 50p coins with a “different coin” currently has a bid of £853. Bidding started at £350 and so far there has been 13 offers.
The new 50p Atlantic Salmon coins entered circulation at the end of 2022 and in 2023 all coins depicting King Charles entered circulation, with coins commemorating the coronation and new designs in all denominations from 1p to £2.
Each design highlights King Charles III’s passion for conservation and the natural world, featuring wildlife such as the hazel dormouse and bees.
A sealed bag of 10 of the Atlantic Salmon 50p coins appears on eBay with a current bid of £853
The 50 pence coin is the country’s most collectible coin and has had 100 different designs on its reverse (cross) since its introduction.
These include designs for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and historic royal occasions such as the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, and even popular culture such as Paddington and Harry Potter.
Rebecca Morgan of The Royal Mint said; ‘The release of the mintage figures is a highly anticipated event among the coin collecting community, and this year is particularly exciting as we reveal the Atlantic Salmon as the rarest 50p example in circulation.
‘For the first time in 15 years, the highly collectable Kew Gardens 50p loses its top spot as the rarest in circulation and the Atlantic Salmon 50p makes its way to number one.
‘2023 marked fundamental changes to the nation’s coinage, including the introduction of coins celebrating the coronation of King Charles III entering circulation.
“Finding these special designs, like the Atlantic salmon, in their change is a win for all collectors.”
The rarest 50p coins have a mintage of 250,000 or less
What about nature’s other currencies?
It’s also worth keeping an eye on the other coins in this King Charles set.
According to the Royal Mint, more than 10 million £1 bee coins and 32 million oak leaf 5p coins were minted in 2023, making them commonplace.
But along with the 50p Salmon, there were only 525,000 20p Puffin coins, 600,000 10p Grouse coins and 600,000 1p coins with the Hazel Dormouse.
These are incredibly low figures compared to mintage figures for Royal Shield coins from previous years, meaning they are worth keeping an eye on.
However, a quick search on eBay shows very few circulated coins but many uncirculated examples, suggesting that collectors have not yet found these coins in their change because they are so new.
Meanwhile, the figures also show that there were no National Flowers £2 coins minted in 2023 and zero Red Squirrel 2p coins, which is due to a lack of demand for these denominations.
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