Rarest and most valuable Queen Elizabeth coins in circulation worth up to £880

THE most rare and valuable coins from Queen Elizabeth’s reign have been revealed.

The Royal Mint has announced the most in demand coins in circulation, which were produced during Her Majesty’s 70 years on the throne.

It comes as the 2022 mintage figures have been published for the first time.

Queen Elizabeth II appeared on more UK coins than any other British monarch – with approximately 27billion coins still in active circulation.

The selection of coins includes full sets, such as the A to Z 10ps and the London 2012 Olympic series.

Some highly prized coins may be sold on online marketplaces like eBay for hundreds of pounds more than their face value.

Some rare coins previously issued by the Mint have fallen out of circulation, such as “round pounds” which were superseded by 12-sided versions in 2017.

Some 50p coins were also removed due to requirements for a smaller version.

Rare coins to look out for in your change include a coveted Kew Gardens 50p and a selection Beatrix Potter 50ps.

Last year marked a new era for British coinage as the last coins bearing the late Queen’s portrait were struck, and the first coins featuring the King entered circulation, according to the 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 27billion of her coins will remain in circulation.”

The Mint said it hopes that by sharing the list of the most rare and valuable coins produced during the late Queen’s reign, it will lead to more people looking closely at their spare change.

“If they’re lucky they might find a piece of history,” Mr Loveridge added.

Below we’ve listed the most valuable coins, their mintage figures and how much they have recently sold for on eBay.

In total all of the coins sold prices add up to £880.

Bear in mind these are the highest amounts each coin has sold for though, there’s no guarantee that you would get the same amount.

The price of a coin varies based on things like demand at the time and how common it is.

You can easily figure out how rare a coin is by checking its mintage figures.

This relates to how many were produced by The Royal Mint, if a coin has a low mintage, it means there’s less in circulation and is therefore rarer.

Anyone can list a coin on eBay and charge whatever amount they wish, but it’s only ever worth what someone is willing to pay.

By checking the recently sold items you will get a more accurate indication of what people are willing to pay for a specific coin.

Here is the full list of the most rare and valuable coins from Queen Elizabeth II’s reign:

• Letters Y, W and Z from the A to Z collection of 10ps – 2019 – Y coin – £30; W 10p – £28; Z 10p – £37: each had a mintage of 63,000. Still in active circulation

• Letter R from the A to Z collection of 10ps – 2019 – £16: mintage of 64,000. Still in active circulation

• Rest of A to Z collection of 10ps – 2019 – £157 for full collection: mintage of 84,000. Still in active circulation

• Council of Ministers 50p – 1992-1993 – £70: mintage of 109,000. No longer in active circulation

• Kew Gardens 50p – 2009 – £207: mintage of 210,000. Still in active circulation

• A to Z 10p collection – 2018 – £85 for full collection: mintage of 220,000. Still in active circulation

• Royal Navy £2 – 2015 – £8: mintage of 650,000. Still in active circulation 

• Britannia £2 – 2015 – £9: mintage of 650,000. Still in active circulation 

• Britannia 50p – 1985 – £10: mintage of 682,103. No longer in active circulation

• Commonwealth £2 – 2002 – £80 for full collection: mintage for Scotland were 771,750; for Wales, 588,500; for Ireland, 485,500; for England 650,500. Still in active circulation

• Olympics handover £2 – 2012 – £13: mintage of 845,000. Still in active circulation

• Centenary of Olympics £2 – 2008 – £10: mintage of 910,000. Still in active circulation

• Beijing Olympics handover £2 – 2008 – £13: mintage of 918,000. Still in active circulation

• King James Bible £2 – 2011 – £10: mintage of 975,000. Still in active circulation

• Beatrix Potter 50p collection – 2018 – Peter Rabbit 50p – £9.50; Flopsy Bunny 50p – £11: mintage of 1,400,000 each for Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny. Still in active circulation

• London 2012 Olympics 50p collection – 2011 – Tennis – £5.50; Judo – £17; Goalball – £3.88; Football – £18; Triathlon – £17; Wrestling – £10: mintages of 1,454,000 for tennis; 1,161,500 for judo; 1,615,5001 for goalball; 1,125,500 for football; 163,500 for triathlon; 1,129,500 for wrestling. Still in active circulation

• UK capital cities £1 – 2010-2011 – £15 for full collection: mintages of 935,000 for Edinburgh; 2,635,000 for London; 1,615,000 for Cardiff. No longer in active circulation

• UK Royal Arms £1 – 2008 – £3.95: mintage of 3,910,000. No longer in active circulation

Meanwhile, here are the exact dates to spot on five rare error coins that reveal they’re worth over £1,000.

Plus, coin experts have revealed how you could make £1,400 by spotting four exact dates and errors in rare 20ps in your spare change.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

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