Brits urged to check their loose change for specific 50p coins that could be worth up to £80

Coin enthusiasts are being urged to check their loose change for specific 50p coins that could be worth up to £80.

These particular coins are sought after by collectors due to their low mintage numbers, making them a rare find.

The Coin Collector UK, sharing his knowledge on TikTok, pointed out the specific 50p pieces to look out for.

He said: "You can get up to £80 pound each for these shield 50ps that you can find in your change."

The shield design was introduced in 2008 and forms part of a larger motif that spans across the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, and 20p coins, which together create the image of a shield.

This idea came from a Royal Mint competition that attracted around 4,000 entries.

The value of a shield 50p can vary significantly depending on its minting year; while some are simply worth their face value, others are highly valued.

This difference is often because certain shield 50p coins were not released into general circulation but were instead only available in annual coin sets, which when opened, might release these coins to the public.

Change Checker experts shed light on the matter, stating: "Despite the royal shield being the definitive UK 50p design for a 14 year period, not every year saw them entering circulation.

"Royal shield 50ps dated 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018 and 2021 are particularly special, because they were never intended for general circulation."

In his video, the coin collector highlighted that the ones to look out for are from 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2016, with the latter being the most valuable.

He explained: "So we have 2009, 2010, and 2011.

"These all sell for between £30 and £40 each. I've been lucky enough to find one 2009, two 2010s and also two 2011s as well in my change."

However, he stressed that the 2016 is the one you really want.

He said: "Another date to be looking out for, I don't actually have this one to hand, is the year 2016.

"So when you flip the coin it'll say 2016 the date up there, that's actually the most valuable. It goes for about £60 to £80."

At the time of reporting, a 2016 shield 50p coin was listed on eBay for £135, while another one was spotted on the auction site for £78.95.

He further added: "Another one I've been lucky enough to find is a 2018 shield.

"This one again about £30, £40 maybe even £45.

"And the most recent one to be looking out for is the year 2021 currently selling for about £20 to £25.

"It's also worth mentioning in the 2017 shield. Unlike the others this one did go in circulation, But it's the lowest mintage shield, only 1.8 million made, and this goes for about £1 to £2."

The most recent Royal shield 50p coin issued for circulation was in 2022.