Always check your change for any hidden gems (Image: Getty Images)
Check your change now as you could have this 50p coin worth more than face value hiding there and it’s not the Kew Gardens or Atlantic Salmon piece.
It’s always good to know what hidden gems are lying in your possession as certain designs might command double or even triple their face value. But this one is 160 times more than face value – and you could have it.
On TikTok, the account @uk.coin.hunt, which boasts 468,900 followers, shared details about 50p coins which could be worth “a lot of money” and might be in your collection.
In the post, the voiceover began: “These Shield 50ps are worth a lot of money! So let’s talk about why they’re worth that kind of money.
“Firstly, you’ve got the NIFC years that include 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018 and 2021. Then you’ve got the rarest and lowest minted Shields in circulation, which is 2017, but that’s not really expensive.”
The person continued: “But NIFC means none of these went into circulation so they’re pulled from BUNC sets, proof sets.”
What Are NIFC 50p Coins and Why Are They Valuable?
NIFC 50p coins generally refer to the change that wasn’t intended for widespread circulation and are typically discovered in sets manufactured by the Royal Mint for collectors.
Examples include the Royal Shield 50p coins from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018, and 2021. In this instance, the coin collector owns these, but particular pieces are worth more if they’re a proof version.
The voiceover added: “I’ve got 2011 Shields, the 2009 and 2010, so this one is a proof as you can see. And these are worth a lot of money as you can see, I’ve only ever found 2010 and 2018 in my change before so literally it looks like a normal 50p.
“People might spend it as they don’t really look for dates and might not know about them. But these sell for £40-£80 each, depending on the condition but obviously the brand new ones will just go for a tiny bit less because of the quality of them.”
The History of the Rare Royal Shield 50p Coin Design:
The Royal Shield 50p is popular as it features a unique “jigsaw puzzle” designed by Matthew Dent. When all the coins (1p through to 50p) are placed together, they unite to form the complete Royal Shield of Arms.
First issued in 2008 to replace the seated Britannia design, the Shield 50p is quite common, although the 2017 year is the most-sought after.
Coin hunters look for it because while most Shield 50p coins were minted in the tens of millions, the Royal Mint released only 1.8million of the 2017 piece for circulation.
Another reason is because the Shield design became the definitive UK standard in 2008. It wasn’t minted every single year so there’s no standard circulation for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018, and 2021.
It’s always handy keeping an eye out for interesting designs. The Change Checker is a great website to help identify low-mintage coins which are desirable among collectors.
Other 50p coins which are worth mentioning are the Atlantic Salmon, also known as the “rarest” 50p coin in UK circulation which took the crown from the Kew Gardens 50p.
The Atlantic Salmon has 200,000 in circulation, while the famous 2009 Kew Gardens 50p has just 210,000 released into the hands of the UK public.
Because of their incredibly low mintage – compared to millions for standard 50p designs – these are the rarest and most sought-after UK coin in circulation.