A rare Royal Mint 50p coin sold for more than £300 on eBay this week, as Brits are being encouraged to check their change

Lots of people find rare and valuable coins and sell them on to try and make a few quid so it's worth checking what's lying around your home.

A rare Peter Rabbit 50p coin has sold for more than £300 on eBay.

Brits are being encouraged to check their change after the coin, from the Royal Mint’s Beatrix Potter collection, sold for £320 on the auction site.

On the heads side, a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth can be seen with the date 2016 also featuring.

While the tail side features an image of Peter Rabbit.

Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny coins from the Beatrix Potter collection are known to be among the rarest 50p coins in circulation in the UK.

Five Incredibly Rare and Valuable British Coins

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.

Royal Mint top 10 most valuable 50p coins

Here is a list of the top 10 most valuable coins, when they were made and how many were minted:

Atlantic Salmon (2023), 200,000

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