Rarest coins from Queen Elizabeth’s reign revealed… from Kew Gardens to alphabet 10p – do you have any in your wallet?
THESE rare coins might be hiding in your back pocket or in the back of your sofa - the right one could be worth thousands.
The Royal Mint has revealed some of the rarest coins that were released in the coinage of Queen II.
Despite the late Queen's portrait no longer being printed, billions of the coins remain in use throughout the country.
Mark Loveridge, director of UK currency at the Royal Mint, said: “The coinage of Queen Elizabeth II spanned 70 years and special designs issued into circulation celebrated some of the biggest events in history.
“Although the 2022 mintage figures mark the last time that Queen Elizabeth II'sportrait will appear on new coins, over 27 billion of her coins will remain in circulation.
“Coin collecting remains a popular hobby in the UK and the coins of Queen Elizabeth II's reign are particularly coveted.
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"By sharing the list of rare designs we hope people will look closely at their coins – if they’re lucky they might find a piece of history.”
Kew Gardens
The popular Kew Gardens coin is a collector's dream and has been extremely sought after ever since it was produced.
It was first released in 2009 to mark the 250th anniversary of Kew Gardens, a botanic garden in London which opened in 1759.
On one side the famed 50p shows the Chinese Pagoda at the Royal Botanic Gardens, depicted by two swirling vines.
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The tails side of the coin depicts a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
It was hailed as the rarest coin in the UK for a while, with very few in circulation after its production.
Now the rarest coin is said to be a 50p which shows the Atlantic Salmon an bearing The King's portrait.
If you're able to find a Kew Gardens coin in your back pocket, or in the back of your sofa, you could be in for a whopping £175.
Olympic Aquatic Coin
These rare Olympic coins were printed with lines, mimicking water ripples, over the swimmer's face whereas her head was originally designed to be more visible.
The misprint was quickly changed when the Royal Mint modified the design, leaving only a few of these original coins in circulation.
This distortion has collectors fighting over the limited edition piece, with one bidder spending a whopping £3,766 to take the precious coin home.
If you're lucky enough to discover an Aquatic 50p it's still a part of the popular Olympic collection - but the misprinted one is a far more valuable find.
The 1933 penny coin
The 1933 penny coin is a highly sought-after piece and is one of the most popular coins to date.
One of these vintage pennies sold at for an eye-watering £127,000.
The year you'll need to look out for is 1933, as there are less than 10 of these were ever produced.
While there are other valuable dates to look out for, there are only seven 1933 coins known to exist.
It was once sold for a staggering £140k and the collectors predict the next one to be found could be sold for even more.
The Lord Kitchener £2 coin
Another misprint that caused this coin to soar in value is on a recently printed coin and its details are what make it so valuable.
It's the £2 coin from 2014 featuring Lord Kitchener, a British military leader.
He is an easily recognised figure, known for pointing in the military recruitment posters stating: "Your country needs you."
These coins can fetch up £800 - but only if it has this specific printing error.
It needs to have the "Two Pounds" inscription missing.
Alhabet 10p coin
The elusive alphabet 10p coin is part of the A to Z of Great Britain collection.
These were was released by The Royal Mint in 2018 and 2019.
Each coin in this valuable collection features a letter of the alphabet along with a British icon or landmark.
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In this range, each different letter is worth a different price.
Some of the rarest coins in this series include the letters "Q" for "Queue," "Z" for "Zebra Crossing," and "Y" for "Yeoman Warder."
Royal Mint rarest coins from Queen Elizabeth II’s reign
Here is the list of rare collectable coins compiled by the Royal Mint. Included is information about the year of release, denomination, design features and whether or not the coin is still in circulation:
1985
- 1985, 50p, the coin featured a figure of Britannia, with a shield, with a mintage of 682,103, no.
1992-1993
- 50p, the coin celebrated the UK’s presidency of the Council of Ministers and the completion of the European single market. The design included a representation of a table with 12 stars, linked by a network of lines and the mintage was 109,000. The Mint said this was the lowest number of its 50ps issued into circulation, no.
2002
- 2002, £2, four £2 coins celebrating each home nation for the Commonwealth Games. Mintage figures for Scotland were 771,750, for Wales, 588,500, for Ireland, 485,500, and for England 650,500, yes.
2008
- 2008, £2, the coin marked the centenary of the Olympic Games, with mintage of 910,000, yes.
- 2008, £2, the coin marked the end of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, with a mintage of 918,000, yes.
- 2008, £1, the round pound coin featured the UK’s Royal Arms, with a mintage of 3,910,000, no.
2009
- 2009, 50p, the design features the Kew Gardens pagoda with a decorative leafy climber twining in and around the tower, 210,000, yes.
2010
- 2010-2011, £1, a series of round pound coins featuring official badges of capital cities in the UK. They had mintages of 935,000 for Edinburgh, 2,635,000 for London and 1,615,000 for Cardiff, no.
2011
- 2011, £2, the coin commemorated 400 years since the King James Bible was published, with a mintage of 975,000, yes.
- 2011, 50p, a series of coins celebrating the London 2012 Olympics. Mintages included 1,454,000 for tennis, 1,161,500 for judo and 1,129,500 for wrestling, yes.
2012
- 2012, £2, the coin celebrated the closing of the 2012 Olympics and had a mintage of 845,000, yes
2015
- 2015, £2, this coin paid tribute to the Royal Navy and its role during the First World War, and had a mintage of 650,000, yes.
- 2015, £2, it featured Britannia for the first time on a circulating £2 coin, with a mintage of 650,000, yes.
2018
- 2018 , 10p, the A to Z 10p collection celebrating Britain, each letter in this year had a mintage of 220,000, yes.
- 2018, 50p, a series of coins celebrated Beatrix Potter’s classic tales, with a mintage of 1,400,000 each for the Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny designs, yes.
2019
- 2019, 10p, a set of “A to Z” coins celebrating Britain. Letters Y, W and Z each had a mintage of 63,000, yes.
- 2019, 10p, also from the A to Z collection, the letter R had a mintage of 64,000, yes.
- 2019, 10p, all other letters in the A to Z collection had a mintage of 84,000, yes.