These are the valuable rare 50p coins worth more than £3,000
You could earn a lot more than 50p if you have one of these coins
Rom Preston-EllisDeputy Head of Content
Updated 09:35, 15 SEP 2018
There are a whole host of 50ps in circulation that could pocket to you tidy forture.
One of the rarest coins of them all - the Kew Gardens design – is worth up to £300 on auction websites (in mint condition) but, it's not the only one collectors are willing to pay a lot more than just simply face value for.
If you can get your hands on one of the original Peter Rabbit coins from 2016 - you're looking at a lump sum worth thousands.
The Royal Mint launched a stunning set of Peter Rabbit coins in 2016 in honour of the literary genius (Image: Getty Images Europe)
According to the coin experts at ChangeChecker, the lower the mintage number, the more valuable the coin can be - and right now there are five 50p editions in circulation that are classed as 'scarce' and 55 more that are classed as potentially valuable.
ChangeChecker have now created a scarcity index that tracks all 59 circulating 50p coins based on their worth, reports the Mirror Online.
Man who jumped in front of train at busy station apologises to witnesses from hospital bed as he reveals plans to rebuild his life
How often do coins in circulation become 'valuable'?
It's the question we're all asking so we decided to ask expert Philip Mussell, the director of Coin News, for some advice on what coins belong in the piggy bank and what belongs on eBay.
"There are a few different ways this happens", explained Philip Mussell, director of Coin News.
"One is when a mistake is made by the Royal Mint, like a 20p without a date, for example, or a 1983 2p coin accidentally printed with the old wording 'New Pence'. Mistakes are eminently collectable.
The lower the number of them in circulation, the more valuable they're estimated to be (Image: ChangeChecker)
"Other collectibles are redesigns or limited edition releases. For example, an Olympic 50p with a swimmer was recently re-released.
"The first minting had a swimmer with waves obscuring her face but the designer didn't want that, so they unobscured her face and made it clear of wavy lines. That's now quite collectable," Mussell added.
Check out this incredible £1.25m Exeter flat - which is up for sale
1. Kew Garden 50p
This coin was released to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the foundation of Kew Gardens
The Kew Gardens 50p tops CoinChecker's scarcity index list.
It's stamped with the Kew Gardens Pagoda and with just 210,000 minted compared to a standard minting of around five million, it's classed as very rare.
That means they can sell for anything above £30 if you can find a collector.
How much it's worth: On eBay, we've tracked down coins selling for as much as £300.
2. Football Olympic 50p
The London 2012 Sports Collection comprises 29 50p coins representing the 29 Olympic sports
"The Olympic Sports 50p series was a revelation in coin collecting – for many it represents the start of their interest in UK circulation coins and thousands rose to the challenge of finding them all from their change," explained ChangeChecker.
There are 29 Olympic coins, but the football edition is classed as the rarest (although still over 1 million were struck).
Designed by journalist Neil Wolfson, the coin was created to encapsulate football in a simple image. As the offside rule is a perennial talking point, the image is designed to provoke discussion, which was what Wolfson was aiming for.
How much it's worth: We've seen these coins sell for around £27 online.
3. Triathlon Olympic 50p
The triathlon Olympic 50p
In 2012, the Royal Mint released 29 commemorative 50p coins representing the sports of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Football 50p is not the only valuable one in this set - in fact there are five that collectors are after.
The Triathlon coin by Sarah Harvey shows a runner, cyclist and swimmer. Royal Mint figures show there are 2,179,000 in circulation.
How much it's worth: The top price we've seen these sell for is £50.
4. Wrestling Olympic 50p
The wrestling Olympic 50p
Roderick Enriquez, a graphic designer from London, chose to design the wrestling 50p coin because it's such a well respected, historical sport, and of course, played a significant part in the Olympic and Paralympic Games. There are an estimated 1,129,500 in circulation at present.
How much it's worth: This coin has previously sold online for around £16.
Huge backlog of bus shelters in Exeter that haven't been replaced
5. Judo Olympic 50p
Judo Olympic 50p
Another most sought after coin is the Judo 50p which also launched to celebrate the London Olympics. There are 1,161,500 in circulation right now.
How much it's worth: On eBay, this coin has been exchanging hands for around the £35 mark.
6. Tennis 50p
Released in the year before Andy Murray beat Roger Federer to a Gold medal in the 2012 Olympics, this coin depicts one of the nation's best-loved sports - and is part of the stunning Olympics collection.
7. Handball 50p
Handball is played in an indoor court between two teams of seven, the objective being to throw the ball into the opponent's goal using only your hands.
This coin was designed by Natasha Ratcliffe - the artist and sculptor behind the wheelchair rugby coin.
Exeter PSPO has seen anti-social behaviour drop 16 per cent - and now students are being targeted in crime crackdown
8. Goalball 50p
Played competitively in more than 100 countries, Goalball is one of the most popular Paralympic sports.
Jonathan Wren, a freelance animator from Buckinghamshire was the designer of this 50p.
9. Rowing 50p
Rowing is one of Britain's most successful Olympic sports, and the only one where team GB have won a medal at every Games since 1984.
The Rowing 50p was designed by David Podmore, a graphic designer from East Yorkshire. He has a strong interest in typography and a great admiration for the sport - both of which are reflected in his design.
10. Shooting 50p
Olympic shooting events are split into three categories; Shotgun, Pistol and Rifle. Britain claimed a single gold medal in the 2012 games.
The winning designer of the Shooting 50p was Pravin Dewdhory who drew inspiration for his design from the graphics used in the London 2012 branding.
More than one in five Devon nurseries close in funding crisis
More 50p coins that could be valuable - have you got any?
Battle of Hastings 50p
The Battle of Hastings 50p coin is one of the most sought after in circulation, but it's not technically rare. It was created to remember the day when King Harold II was defeated by William the Conqueror, leading to the collapse of the English army.
The coin, which commemorates the 1066 battle, was printed by the Royal Mint in 2016 when it first entered circulation.
How much it's worth: There are around 6.7 million of them about - and have been known to sell for as much as £3,595.
Olympic Swimmer Aquatics 50p
The original Olympic aquatic coin with the wavy lines across the swimmer's face has become very collectible as only 600 were released before the design was changed.
Just 600 is a tiny, tiny amount in the world of coin collecting and so these coins are changing hands for upwards of £800.
How much it's worth: It's currently trading for around £20 on eBay.
The Euro 50p
This 1992 50p piece featuring 12 stars and representing the EC Single Market has been known to sell for around £50-£55 online.
These are the old-fashioned chunky 50 pences so you are unlikely to turn one up in your change, but it could be worth checking any long-term penny jars for.
How much it's worth: This coin has been known to sell for around £90 online.
WWF 50p
This commemorative coin is selling for more than £10, even if it has been in circulation a while and is no longer in mint condition.
Be careful when buying as some of these standard coins are being advertised at massively inflated prices. However, a few of the rarer editions are selling for hundreds of pounds – so look carefully when comparing.
How much it's worth: This adorable coin is currently exchanging hands for around £40 online.
The Peter Rabbit coins worth £3,200
In March 2016, a batch of Peter Rabbit coins entered circulation in the Lake District and a few other British locations in memory of the works of iconic author Beatrix Potter.
Shortly after, they started appearing on online marketplace eBay for far more than 50p.
In 2017, the Royal Mint released a further four Peter Rabbit coins - however available to buy exclusively online only. This was followed by several more in 2018 to mark the late author's anniversary. All are available in silver, and colour.
The 2016 Beatrix Potter 50p coins rank highly in the scarcity list, featuring Jemima Puddle-Duck and Squirrel Nutkin. This is based largely on the fact that not many people own them and they are in very high demand.
Revealed: Why pilot was forced to make dramatic emergency landing on Devon beach
How much they're worth: On eBay, one 2016 Peter Rabbit coin sold for £5,000 in February making it the most valuable of them all, in another eBay listing, it sold for £3,200 .
In colour, the entire 2016 collection is being traded for upwards of £999 . Collectors are also paying for colour versions of Peter Rabbit for an eye watering £680 .
The 2016 silver proof featuring the words 'Beatrix Potter' itself is also highly sought after - and being sold for around £207 online .
Jemima Puddle-duck meanwhile is selling for around £900 while the full set in colour is going for £1,480 .