The humble 50p coin has become a popular collectors’ item thanks to the vast array of designs to have appeared on its reverse since its official introduction in 1969.

But which 50p pieces are the most valuable if you were to find them among the change in your purse asks senior reporter Lauren Abbott?

Every Christmas there is often a scrabble for some loose change.

Whether its coins for a charity or church collection or pennies for a card game after dinner, in an increasingly cashless society, the festive season can send us around the house in search of spare change.

But hidden among the money in our wallets, the kids’ piggy banks or those in the loose change jar you might raid this month could be some very special coins - unique because of both their design and the incredibly low numbers sent into circulation.

A combination, explains the Royal Mint, that will make them extremely sought after.

Changes at the top

For more than a decade, a Kew Gardens 50p coin has held the top spot when it comes to the rarest 50p pieces in circulation.

Introduced to celebrate the botanical garden’s 250th anniversary in 2009, the design features the famous Chinese Pagoda at Kew with a decorative leafy climber twining in and around the tower. On the other side of course, is the familiar silhouette of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

If you were to ask a coin collector why they ever started collecting there’s every chance it’s connected to a hunt for this very rare piece - claims the Royal Mint - which thanks to a low mintage of 210,000 coins has made it one of the most talked about items in the collecting community over the last 15 years.

But a change in monarch has brought with it a new and much sought-after 50p piece that is currently making waves among collectors and - crucially - one which has this year knocked the Kew Gardens coin from the number one spot after more than 10 years.

With just 200,000 definitive coins released - 10,000 less than the 2009 Kew Gardens coin - His Majesty King Charles III’s 50p of an Atlantic Salmon has this winter been officially crowned the rarest 50p in active circulation.

How rare is the Atlantic Salmon coin?

The Royal Mint first unveiled the design of the Atlantic Salmon coin in October 2023 as part of eight new pictures to appear on coins that would also highlight the King’s passion for conservation and the natural world.

In November 2023, the Atlantic Salmon became the first of these eight new designs to enter circulation, and while collectors predicted a low mintage at the time - the Royal Mint has now confirmed it is even rarer than the beloved 2009 Kew Gardens 50p piece.

The Atlantic Salmon coin also currently has the lowest mintage of all circulating 50p pieces and so it is expected many numismatist will turn their attention to now securing it for their collections.

And interest in the coin already appears high - with pieces listed on ebay for anything between £40 and £130.

Rebecca Morgan, Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint said; “The releasing of mintage figures is an eagerly anticipated event among the coin collecting community – and this year is particularly exciting as we reveal the Atlantic Salmon as the rarest 50p in circulation.

“For the first time in 15 years, the highly collectable Kew Gardens 50p loses its top spot as the rarest in circulation with the Atlantic Salmon 50p splashing its way to number one.”

The UK’s rarest coins in circulation:

It is the shape of the 50p, says The Royal Mint, which creates the ideal blank canvas for unique designs.

Coins featuring characters from Beatrix Potter stories and sports celebrated in the London 2012 Olympic games continue to dominate the top 10 list of rare 50p coins.

Further details about all 50p pieces - and how many exactly are circulating in our shops, supermarkets and banks - is available to read on the Royal Mint’s website here

The top 10 rarest 50p coins by their numbers in circulation:

1. 2023 Atlantic Salmon 50p - 200,000

2. 2009 Kew Gardens 50p - 210,000

3. 2011 Olympic Football 50p - 1,125,500

4. 2011 Olympic Wrestling 50p - 1,129,500

5. 2011 Olympic Judo 50p - 1,161,500

6. 2011 Olympic Triathlon 50p - 1,163,500

7. 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p - 1,400,000

8. 2018 Flopsy Bunny 50p - 1,400,000

9. 2011 Olympic Tennis 50p - 1,454,000

10. Olympic Goalball 50p - 1,615,500