Watch coin expert reveal the two rarest 50ps worth up to 390 times face value – and key details to look for in change

A COIN expert has revealed two of the rarest 50p pieces - with one fetching 390 times its value.

Rare 50p coins often spark bidding wars online, and people have been urged to check their change for special pieces.

Posting under the name @coincollectingwizard on TikTok, the video revealed that the two 50p designs worth far more than their designated value.

Released in 2023, the King Charles III Atlantic Salmon is the rarest 50p coin in the UK, with only 200,000 coins in active circulation.

According to Coincollectingwizard, a rare Atlantic Salmon coin could sell for an average of £150 pounds.

One such coin recently sold for £195 on eBay - 390 times its face value -while a bag of 50p coins sold for £1,700 in a fierce bidding war.

The King Charles III 50p, also known as the Atlantic Salmon, has skyrocketed to top position in the list of the UK's rarest 50p coins still in circulation, as first revealed buy The Sun.

A spokesman for coin website Changechecker said: "The circulation 2023 Salmon 50p has knocked the legendary Kew Gardens 50p off the top spot, meaning Britain has a new rarest 50p for the first time in 15 years.

"It was announced on October 7, 2024 that just 200,000 2023 Salmon 50ps entered circulation in November 2023.

Due to its incredibly low mintage, just one in 335 people in the UK could have the chance of finding one in their change.

When the Kew Gardens 50p was first issued in 2009, collectors didn’t initially realise just how rare it would be, and many people who found one in their change parted with it and later kicked themselves.

The spokesperson added: "Now, 15 years later, the Kew Gardens coin regularly sells for between £150 to £250 on the secondary market, so it’s no surprise that they’re already selling on the secondary market for up to £200.

"For many, snagging a Salmon coin could be a second chance at coin-collecting glory."

Described by the Royal Mint as “the nation’s most collectable coin”, the 50p has seen over 100 different designs appear on its reverse since its introduction.

Out of the 10 rarest 50ps in circulation, six are related to the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games, with Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny coins from 2018 both also making the list.

CHECK IF YOU HAVE A RARE COIN

Rare coins and valuable notes can be worth tens of thousands of times their face value.

But sometimes it's just tiny differences which make them so lucrative.

The most valuable coins tend to be ones with low mintage numbers or an error.