The Royal Mint has released its updated list of the rarest 50p coins in circulation, with the Atlantic Salmon 50p taking the top spot for the first time. The coin, featuring an Atlantic Salmon design and King Charles III's portrait, replaces the iconic 2009 Kew Gardens 50p, which had held the number one position for 15 years.
Only 200,000 Atlantic Salmon 50p coins have been released to UK banks and post offices, making it 10,000 rarer than the Kew Gardens coin. According to Change Checker, the Kew Gardens 50p currently sells for an average of £145 on the secondary market—290 times its face value—suggesting the Atlantic Salmon coin could be worth even more.
The top ten list is dominated by Olympic-themed coins from the 2012 London Games. The 2011 Olympic Football 50p, which depicts the offside rule, ranks third, followed by Wrestling, Judo, and Triathlon designs in fourth, fifth, and sixth places respectively. Beatrix Potter characters also feature prominently, with the 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p in seventh and the 2018 Flopsy Bunny 50p in eighth, each with a mintage of just 1.4 million.
Rounding out the list are the Tennis 50p in ninth and the Goalball 50p in tenth. The Royal Mint notes that many 2011 Olympic 50p coins have mintages below 2 million, making them highly sought after by collectors. Coin enthusiasts are advised to check their change carefully for these rare designs, which could be worth hundreds of pounds.
