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Royal Mint confirms rare coins made during Queen’s reign including Kew Gardens and Beatrix Potter 50p

The rarest - and therefore now most collectable - coins to have been produced during the Queen’s reign have been revealed by the Royal Mint.

As Britain continues to change items like stamps and money to carry the profile of new monarch King Charles, experts have been collating which of the coins released during the late Queen's reign are potentially the most valuable.

New coins featuring King Charles are now entering circulation. Image: The Royal Mint.
New coins featuring King Charles are now entering circulation. Image: The Royal Mint.

Among the coins to look out for are a Kew Gardens 50p piece and a selection of special alphabet 10ps from 2018 and 2019. Scroll down for the full list.

Last year the final coins bearing Queen Elizabeth’s profile were struck and the country is now entering a new era for British coinage, says The Royal Mint, as the first coins featuring her son and heir begin to circulate.

The Royal Mint has revealed which coins from the Queen's reign are considered the rarest. Image: iStock.
The Royal Mint has revealed which coins from the Queen's reign are considered the rarest. Image: iStock.

While Queen Elizabeth II appeared on more UK coins than any other British monarch - with approximately 27 billion coins still in active circulation – some remain more collectable than others often depending on then numbers of each produced at the time or the occasion for which they were produced for.

The nation’s most collectible coin is the 50p – with its shape lending itself well to commemorative work - and over 100 different designs have appeared on the 50p piece since its introduction.

These include special designs for the Platinum Jubilee, the London 2012 Olympics, and a series of characters from Beatrix Potter’s classic tales.

Rare coins from Queen Elizabeth's reign. Image: The Royal Mint.
Rare coins from Queen Elizabeth's reign. Image: The Royal Mint.

Mark Loveridge, Director of UK Currency at The Royal Mint said: “2022 marked one of the biggest changes in coinage since decimalisation as we moved from the reign of Queen Elizabeth II to King Charles III.

“The coinage of Queen Elizabeth II spanned 70 years and special designs issued into circulation celebrated some of the biggest events in history. Although the 2022 mintage figures mark the last time that Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait will appear on new coins, over 27 billion of her coins will remain in circulation.

“Coin collecting remains a popular hobby in the UK and the coins of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign are particularly coveted. By sharing the list of rare designs we hope people will look closely at their coins - if they’re lucky they might find a piece of history.”

A 50p Kew Gardens coin remains one of the rarest coins a person might find. Image: The Royal Mint.
A 50p Kew Gardens coin remains one of the rarest coins a person might find. Image: The Royal Mint.

The full list of rare coins, produced during the Queen’s reign, are:

– 2019, 10p, a set of “A to Z” coins celebrating Britain. Letters Y, W and Z each had a mintage of 63,000, yes.

– 2019, 10p, also from the A to Z collection, the letter R had a mintage of 64,000, yes.

– 2019, 10p, all other letters in the A to Z collection had a mintage of 84,000, yes.

– 1992-1993, 50p, the coin celebrated the UK’s presidency of the Council of Ministers and the completion of the European single market. The design included a representation of a table with 12 stars, linked by a network of lines and the mintage was 109,000. The Mint said this was the lowest number of its 50ps issued into circulation, no.

– 2009, 50p, the design features the Kew Gardens pagoda with a decorative leafy climber twining in and around the tower, 210,000 coins were made and remain in circulation.

– 2018 dated, 10p, the A to Z 10p collection celebrating Britain, each letter in this year had a mintage of 220,000 and can still be found in circulation.

– 2015, £2 coin which paid tribute to the Royal Navy and its role during the First World War. The coin had a mintage of 650,000 and remains in circulation.

– 2015, £2 which featured Britannia for the first time on a circulating £2 coin. Also still in circulation.

– 1985, 50p with the figure of Britannia, with a shield, but now no longer in circulation.

– 2002, £2, four £2 coins celebrating each home nation for the Commonwealth Games. Mintage figures for Scotland were 771,750, for Wales, 588,500, for Ireland, 485,500, and for England 650,500. These coins remain in circulation.

– 2012, a £2 coin celebrated the closing of the 2012 Olympics with a mintage of 845,000 is still in circulation.

– 2008, a £2 coin that marked the centenary of the Olympic Games. Some coins are still in circulation.

– 2008, a £2 that marked the end of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The coin had a mintage of 918,000 and is still in circulation.

– 2011, a £2 marking 400 years since the King James Bible was published.

Flopsy Bunny and other Beatrix Potter coins are also among those people should check their change for. Image: The Royal Mint.
Flopsy Bunny and other Beatrix Potter coins are also among those people should check their change for. Image: The Royal Mint.

– 2018, 50p coins in a series celebrated Beatrix Potter’s classic tales, with a mintage of 1,400,000 each for the Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny designs. The coins can still be found in circulation today.

– 2011, a series of 50p coins celebrating the London 2012 Olympics. Mintages included 1,454,000 for tennis, 1,161,500 for judo and 1,129,500 for wrestling. The Olympic Games coins can still be found in circulation.

– 2010-2011, a series of round £1 pound coins with the official badges of UK capital cities. Mintages were 935,000 for Edinburgh, 2,635,000 for London and 1,615,000 for Cardiff. The coins are no longer in circulation.

– 2008, a £1 coin with the UK’s Royal Arms and a mintage of 3,910,000. No longer in circulation.

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