The 2020 Diversity Built Britain coin, released to celebrate Britain’s diverse history and contribution of different communities, is being sold for 36,000 times its face value.
The item, described as “Very Rare,” is listed from Stanley, County Durham, and has already caught the attention of coin collectors online.
With Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse, the coin also features the special “Diversity Built Britain” design on the reverse — a symbol introduced in 2020 to reflect modern UK society.
The 50p coin on eBay(Image: EBAY)
The coin is currently on sale for £18,000 or the best offer. It is listed as collection only.
This design was part of a wider Royal Mint campaign to mark Britain’s rich multicultural heritage, and it quickly became a sought-after piece among collectors.
Similar commemorative coins regularly appear on resale sites for substantial sums, with some listed for tens of thousands of pounds, far exceeding their original value.
The coin can be viewed here.
What makes a coin valuable?
The 50 pence piece has become the most valued and collected coin in the UK, with many collectable designs appearing on its heptagonal canvas.
Its 27.5mm diameter makes it the largest of any British coin, and allows space for decorative pictures. It has often been used to celebrate big events over the past 50 years of British history.
The rarest coins tend to be of the greatest value, with the mintage (number of coins with each design made) being the fundamental attraction for collectors.
Along with the design, other aspects of the coin which increase value are the condition of the coin and whether it has an error in its design.
The way in which it is sold can also determine the coin’s value – while some coin collectors will bid vast amounts of money on eBay or at auction, others opt for more robust valuations by selling via a coin dealer.
Rarest 50p coins in circulation in the UK?
The Royal Mint has revealed the most valuable 50p coin, ahead of the 1971 decimalisation’s golden anniversary.
The rarest is the Kew’s Garden 50p, which was designed to mark the 250th anniversary of the gardens in 2009. Only 210,000 coins were ever minted with this design.
The Kew Gardens 50p sells for £156.25 on average, but one seller received over £700 for one when they sold it on eBay.
The other rarest coins stem predominantly from the 2011 Olympics, with the wrestling, football and judo coins among the most valuable. Only 1.1million of each of these coins were produced.
Flopsy Bunny and Peter Rabbit designs, which were produced in 2018, are also highly valuable.
These coins – 1.4 million of which were minted – depict the characters from Beatrix Potter’s novels and celebrate the life of the English writer, and these sell for around £5.
In 2019, 500 million coins were produced, with three new 50p designs.
These included one of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, Paddington Bear at St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London.
How to get your old coins valued
Top 10 most valuable 50p coins, according to Royal Mint
Here is a list of the top 10 most valuable coins, when they were made, and how many were minted:
- Kew Gardens (2009), 210,000
- Olympic Wrestling (2011), 1,129,500
- Olympic Football (2011), 1,161,500
- Olympic Judo (2011), 1,161,500
- Olympic Triathlon (2011), 1,163,500
- Peter Rabbit (2018), 1,400,000
- Flopsy Bunny (2018), 1,400,000
- Olympic Tennis (2011), 1,454,000
- Olympic Goalball (2011), 1,615,500
- Olympic Shooting (2011), 1,656,500
*Just because a coin is listed at the price, it doesn’t mean they sell for this price – the information in this article reflects that and has quotes from the Royal Mint to reflect that also.*
