Most valuable 50p, £1 and £2 coins you could have in your pocket

The coins are hard to tell apart
-Credit: (Image: Change Checker)


Everyone enjoys a surprise windfall, and by checking for some of these coins, you could be laughing all the way to the bank. We've compiled a list of the ten most valuable 50p, £1 and £2 coins currently in circulation.

If you're in possession of one of these 30 coins, you could be looking at a cheeky bonus of up to £185. So, without further ado, here are the coins in question, according to the Change Checker website's Scarcity Index.

Most valuable 50p, £1 and £2 coins you could have in your pocket

50p COINS

1. Kew Gardens

This coin is stamped with the Kew Gardens Pagoda, and with just 210,000 minted compared to a standard minting of around five million, it's classed as very rare. That means they can sell for anything above £30 if you can find a collector; and on eBay, they are being sold for as much as £185.

2. Football Olympic ('offside')

There are 29 Olympic commemorative coins, but the football edition is the rarest (although still over 1 million were struck). Designed by journalist Neil Wolfson, the coin was created to encapsulate football in a simple image. As the offside rule is a perennial talking point, the image is designed to provoke discussion, which was what Wolfson was aiming for.

3. Judo Olympic

Another Olympic coin, there are 1.1m in circulation.

Judo Olympic 50p
Judo Olympic 50p -Credit:Change Checker

4. Triathlon Olympic

The triathlon coin by Sarah Harvey shows a runner, cyclist and swimmer.

5. Wrestling Olympic

Roderick Enriquez, a graphic designer from London, chose to design the wrestling 50p coin because it's such a well-respected, historical sport.

6. Tennis Olympic

7. Goalball Olympic

8. Jemima Puddle-Duck

When The Royal Mint released 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p Coins, only a small amount of Jemima Puddle-Duck coins were struck compared to the rest of the series. Only 2.1 million Jemima Puddle-Duck coins were released into circulation - less than 20% of the number of Peter Rabbit coins.

10. Handball Olympic

£1 COINS

As the round £1 coins are no longer in production, this list won't change much in terms of scarcity. But coins could go up in value as the old £1 coins will no longer legal tender from October 16 this year, so will be much rarer.

1. Edinburgh City (2011)

It's thought there are between 600,000 and 800,000 Edinburgh City coins still in circulation, according to Change Checker. That means that you will have to examine roughly 3,000 mixed £1 coins to find the Edinburgh City £1 coin.

2. Cardiff City (2011)

3. London City (2010)

4. Thistle and Bluebell (2014)

The fifth series of £1 coin designs used pairs of floral emblems designed by Timothy Noad to represent the United Kingdom and its four constituent countries. This coin (below, left) features a thistle alongside a bluebell to represent Scotland.

5. Crowned Shield (1988)

6. Rose and Oak (2013)

7. Flax and Shamrock (2014)

The flax plant alongside a shamrock (above, right) is another in the 2104 series, and represents Northern Ireland.

8. Daffodil and Leek (2013)

9. Belfast City (2010)

Designed by Stuart Devlin, Goldsmith and Jeweller to the Queen, this coin depicts the circular Coat of Arms of Belfast as the principal focus to represent Northern Ireland.

10. Lion Rampant (1994)

This coin features a Lion Rampant which is used to represent Scotland. The term 'rampant' refers to the position of the lion standing upright with forelegs raised and claws unsheathed, and this symbol was first used to represent the Scottish kingdom by King Alexander II in the 13th century.

£2 COINS

1. Commonwealth Games England

There are four coins that make up the 2002 Commonwealth Games £2 series - and they feature at numbers one to four in this list. Unfortunately, they are very hard to tell apart, as the only difference between them is on the small flag that appears on the coin.

The coins are hard to tell apart
These Commonwealth Games coins are hard to tell apart -Credit:Change Checker

2. Commonwealth Games Scotland

3. Commonwealth Games Wales

4. Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland

For example, the only difference between England’s ‘St George Cross’ flag and Northern Ireland’s ‘Ulster Banner’ flag, is the ‘Red Hand of Ulster’ - the star and the crown which feature at the centre.

5. First World war Centenary (Navy)

6. Olympic Handover

This coin, like the one below, represents the handover between Olympic Games; from Beijing in 2008 to London in 2012 (below left), and from London in 2012 to Rio in 2016 (below right).

7. London 2012 Handover

Olympic Handover and London 2012 Handover £2 coins
Olympic Handover and London 2012 Handover £2 coins -Credit:Coin Checker

8. Olympic Centenary

9. Mary Rose

10. Shakespeare Comedies

*An earlier version of this story appeared on the Daily Mirror website.