RAREST CIRCULATING U.K. COINS

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V17 2014 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 17, Number 36, August 31, 2014, Article 26

Do you have a rare coin in your pocket? Ever since the news that the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p is the rarest UK coin design in circulation, there has been an increase in interest in the mintage figures and rarity of the coins that are currently in circulation. There are over 100 different coin designs in circulation, 98 of which make up The Great British Coin Hunt, and with mintage figures largely driven by demand from banks and cash centres, some are certainly rarer than others.

Rarity is based on the mintage figures of United Kingdom decimal coins in circulation at 30 June 2014.

The 2009 Kew Gardens 50p leads the charts with a mintage of only 210,000. It is followed in second, third, fourth and fifth by four 2002 £2 coins. In 2002 four £2 coins were released to mark the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Based around the same core design, the coins are differentiated by the flags of the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. The 2002 Commonwealth Games £2 with a Northern Ireland flag is the second rarest coin design in circulation with a mintage of 485,000. Third is the 2002 £2 coin that features the Wales flag, with a mintage of 558,500. Fourth is the 2002 £2 with the England flag, with a mintage of 650,500, and finally in fifth is the 2002 £2 with the Scotland flag with a mintage of 771,750. The rarest £1 coin, and ninth in our top 20, is the 2011 Edinburgh £1, which has a mintage of 935,000.

Collectors will probably not be surprised that the Kew Gardens 50 pence leads the list of rarities. There was a lot of media attention about this very attractively designed coin recently which sent the price spiralling. What is surprising is there are over a 100 coins currently in circulation, most of which most people have never seen.

There is no mention in this list of the two error coins –the dateless 20 pence and the PEMEMBER not REMEMBER two pounds commemorating the Gunpowder Plot. Probably the Royal Mint does not want to draw attention to mistakes, which given the output of the Mint are very infrequent.

Collectors will appreciate this useful information and wonder if it will lead to more interest in the series. It shows that it still pays to check your change

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