Exact detail to spot on rare coins that makes them worth over 400 times their value – do you have one in your pocket?

The Sun

3 days ago

SPOTTING these exact details on rare coins could make them worth up to 416 times their face value.
A coin is usually regarded as rare if a limited amount of the piece was put into circulation, meaning fewer people will have one lying around at home.
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Sometimes, the coin will have an unusual marking, and other times it can feature a familiar character or cartoon on it.
These features can drive up demand from collectors.
But do bear in mind that coins are only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.
The Sun recently found four rare coins that sold for a combined total of £423.59 this June.
Atlantic Salmon 50p - £70.59
This coin features a portrait of King Charles III on the front, while the back of the coin depicts an Atlantic salmon leaping from the waves.
Research by Change Checker found only 200,000 of these coins have entered circulation, making it one of the rarest coins in the UK.
The group said only around one in 335 people in the UK could have the chance of snagging one.
And it appears collectors are prepared to pay a pretty penny for one of these coins.
On Saturday, June 21 a seller managed to flog an Atlantic Salmon coin for £70.59. That makes it 141 times its face value.
That was after a fierce bidding war with 18 wannabe buyers.
Five 50ps that could earn you thousands
Kew Gardens 50p - £127.08
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The front of this rare coin has an image of the late Queen Elizabeth II, with the engraver's initials, Ian Rank-Broadley, below.
But what makes it special is the reverse, which features a leafy vine wrapped around a Chinese pagoda.
It also has the date of the year it was made to commemorate the anniversary.
There are around 210,000 of these coins in circulation making it another rare find.
Recently one of these coins sold for £127.08 on June 22 after 16 people tried to bid for it.
That makes it a whopping 254 times its face value.
But in the past, Kew Gardens coins have sold for up to £700.
Olympic Football 50p - £17.59
This coin, also known as the Offside Rule 50p, is one of twenty-nine commemorative 2012 Olympic 50ps issued by The Royal Mint.
The design was created by Neil Wolfson, a sports journalist and features a diagram to show how the Offside Rule works.
Around 1.2million of the Olympic Football 50p's were put into circulation, so you might have a better chance of finding one lying around your house.
On June 22, one of these coins sold for £17.59 after eight bids.
On this occasion, the coin has sold for over 35 times its face value.
But in the past, it has sold for £24 so there is a chance you get more depending on collectors' interest at the time.
Blue Peter 50p - £208
This Blue Peter 50p coin was released in 2009 ahead of the London Olympic games in 2012.
It features a cartoon of a high jumper on the back, with the design etched by a nine-year-old girl.
Over 2.2million of the Blue Peter 50p coins were issued, with most minted in 2011.
In the past, this coin has sold for up to £223.
On Sunday June 22 The Sun spotted one of these coins sold for £208 after an eight-person bidding war.
On this occasion, the Blue Peter coin has sold for 416 times its face value.