The Salmon 50p makes waves in our December 2024 eBay Tracker update!
So you’ve found a rare coin or banknote in your change and are wondering ‘how much could it be worth?’ It’s difficult to determine a coin’s value as the secondary market can be a bit of a minefield, so we’ve done the hard work for you.
Our eBay Tracker is an easy way for you to see how much the top 10 UK coins and banknotes are selling for right now, and with a new rarest 50p in circulation – it’s worth keeping an eye on!
You might notice that your favourite coin or banknote that we’ve tracked in the past is missing, but you can always check out our previous eBay Tracker updates to see how their value has changed over time.
eBay Tracker
Since our last update, there’s been one major change to the collecting world – the announcement that we now have a NEW rarest UK 50p! It was revealed in October 2024 that the 2023 Salmon 50p had a circulating mintage of just 200,000, meaning it knocks the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p off the top spot!
2023 Salmon 50p
An estimated 500,000 Salmon 50ps entered circulation in November 2023, however, collectors were finding them hard to come by. Later, in October 2024, it was announced that the official mintage figure was just 200,000 – 10,000 less than the Kew Gardens 50p! This meant that for the first time in 15 years, we had a new rarest UK 50p!
We added the Salmon 50p to our eBay Tracker back in June 2024 as it was one of the newest coins to enter circulation. Back then you could get your hands on one on the secondary market for under £15, however now that we know just how rare it is, it’s selling for around £85 – that’s a 477% increase on average!
Kew Gardens 50p
Now the second rarest 50p in circulation, the Kew Gardens 50p can still fetch hefty amounts on the secondary market. Don’t forget, it’s had 15 years to stake its claim as the pinnacle of collecting, so even though it’s no longer the rarest in terms of mintage, the Kew Gardens 50p is still incredibly sought after.
The average secondary market value for a Kew Gardens 50p has decreased by £3 since our last update, but you’d still be looking to pay nearly £150 for one – that’s 300 times its face value!
Undated 20p
The undated 20p is often thought of as the ‘holy grail of change collecting’, as it’s not been confirmed just how many of these error coins made it into circulation. As one of the most sought-after coins, it’s at the top of many collectors’ wish lists, and some are willing to pay up to £64 to get their hands on one.
That’s a 28% increase since our last eBay Tracker update in June 2024, so it’s definitely worth checking your 20ps!
W (World Wide Web) 10p
The A-Z of Great Britain 10p series was first issued in 2018, with a 10p representing something quintessentially British for each letter of the alphabet. A second wave of these 10ps was issued in 2019, and out of all of them, the 2019 W for World Wide Web 10p has the lowest mintage figure of just 63,000!
According to our eBay Tracker, you can expect to pay around £6 for a W 10p on the secondary market, which is a 33% increase since our last update. Not a bad return on a 10p coin!
The first ever King Charles III Banknotes
The first ever King Charles III banknotes entered circulation on 5th June 2024, and as they’ll only be issued to replace worn or damaged Queen Elizabeth II going forward, they’ve inevitably become extremely sought after by collectors.
Whilst the median selling price for a King Charles III £10 banknote has remained essentially the same since our last eBay Tracker update, a King Charles III £5 will cost you 61% less than 6 months ago. If you’re missing a King Charles III £5 note from your collection, now might be a good time to get one on the secondary market for under £10.
Valuation Index
Using the total price of the coins and banknotes tracked, the Valuation Index follows the rise and fall of their overall value, measured in points against the baseline set in January 2017.
Since the last update in June 2024, there’s been an 18% overall increase in the value of the Top 10 coins and banknotes on the eBay Tracker. But bear in mind that the coins and banknotes tracked were updated in June 2024, as represented by the vertical dotted line on the graph.
eBay Tracker FAQs
How does the eBay Tracker work?
The Change Checker eBay Tracker takes the last 9 sold prices on eBay and gives the median price achieved. By taking the median, rather than an average, we avoid skewing figures with excessively high or low prices.
Please note that the Change Checker eBay Tracker is only ever designed to be a guide as to prices achieved on eBay. Prices may vary depending on collector demand and the quality of the coin being sold. It does not provide any guarantee as to future values of coins.
My coin isn’t on the eBay Tracker
The eBay Tracker follows the movements of the top UK coins and banknotes, however if your coin doesn’t appear on the tracker you can use our 6 point guide to help determine the realistic value for your coin.
Find out more about your coins
If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use!
For readers information.
There are now four varieties of he Atlantic Salmon 50p coin from the following sources.
1. The 2023 definitive set (8 coins) with privy mark, mintage unknown.
2. The 2023 definitive coin in general circulation, with a mintage of 200,000.
3. The 2024 definitive coin from the Definitive set (8 coins) and the Annual set (13 coins), mintage unknown.
4. The 2025 definitive coin from the Definitive set (8 coins) and the Annual set (13 coins), mintage unknown.
I hope this helps your readers
I bought a salmon coin with crown over Christmas knowing full well it was from a set. It cost 40 quid which l thought a good buy ( from eBay) . I am now looking for one that’s circulated.
At the end of the day it’s what one is prepared to pay. It’s the beauty of the coin that counts.
Hello Ron
You say you thought it was a good buy at £40, sadly you could of brought the set with the salmon 50p for less than the £40 you paid.
There were people buying the sets taking out the salmon 50p, calling it rare and some people were paying over the price of the cost of the set,not many coin suppliers were saying its the 2023 salmon with out the privy mark that was the rare coin,
I would love to know the differences and quantities of each coin minted as well please and thank you for the time you give.
Happy Christmas 🎄
Hi Valerie, we don’t know yet how many brilliant uncirculated Salmon 50ps have been sold in sets, but we’ll update you as soon as the number gets released.
Kind regards, Kate
I’m told by the Royal Mint that the figures, for sets sold, are released TWO years after the set is no longer available. So, we won’t know how many 2024 Atlantic Salmon 50ps from the definitive and annual sets were minted until early 2027! Have I been told the correct information?
Hi Vic,
We don’t yet know how many 2023 or 2024 Atlantic Salmon 50ps were minted for sets, but once The Royal Mint releases this information, we’ll be sure to update you.
Kind regards, Kate
There are two opinions on here:-
” The ones with a crown on the obverse are only from sets. The only rare ones do NOT have the crown mint mark behind the Kings head”
AND
“It’s the circulated coins that are rare… those with the crown mark on the obverse.”
Which opinion is correct please?
Hi Pete, your first statement is more correct. It is the 2023 dated circulating Salmon 50ps that are rare as there are only 200,000 in circulation. The brilliant uncirculated version in sets with the privy mark on the obverse (heads side) are not currently considered rare, however the amount of these coins that have been minted has not yet been released.
I hope that helps, Kate
Very correct Pete, some people were selling the salmon with the privy mark saying it was rare, they had simply brought the set and took the 50p out,and selling it for more than the set knowing full well it was the coin with out the privy mark was the rare coin, a friend of mine brought one thinking he had got a rare coin for well over the cost of the set, there are some unscrupulous people out there and more should have been done to highlight the difference
Is there any estimate for the number of Salmon 50p coins that have been sold in sets?
Hi Brian, we don’t know yet how many brilliant uncirculated Salmon 50ps have been sold in sets, but we’ll update you as soon as the number gets released.
Kind regards, Kate
hi Brian, the salmon 50p’s in sets will have the privy mark which separates them from the circulated ones which do not.
Hello
Yes I totally agree with Peter, people are saying their coin is rare but it’s 2023 or 2024 with the privy mark that they are selling, one person was a coin hunter who does their coin hunts on YouTube, I messaged him saying he was being underhanded saying they were rare coins,he admitted he was buying the set and breaking out the 50 pence coins.
I agree with Peter that you should make people totally aware which coin is the rare coin and which is not, I am sure there are people out there who think they have got the rare coin and in fact they have not. Would be interesting aswell for you to run a section on the subject.
Look forward to seeing it
Thank you
Hi Phil, thanks for your comment. Good to know there would be interest in a piece on the difference between the circulation Salmon 50p and the version with the privy mark.
Watch this space!
Kate
Peter is wrong. The ones with a crown on the obverse are only from sets. The only rare ones do NOT have the crown mint mark behind the Kings head. That is the 200,000 mintage.
Changechecker must make the distinction between the values of both types. .
Hello Kate
Yes it would be a great idea, it really does need to be highlighted, there was not much said about the difference, there was even a person who does the £2 and 50p live coin runs, I said to him about it and he admitted that he was buying the set and taking out the salmon and selling it on eBay, I said it was not nice ( polite) as he had such a presence on the Internet with lots of followers
Salmon 50 pences: I think that you should be promoting the difference between those of these coins released for circulation and those in BUNC or Proof sets as there are plenty of the latter on online auction sites claiming they are rare. They are not rare. Should they ever get ‘rare’, the mint could easily make some more. It’s the circulated coins that are rare… those with the crown mark on the obverse.
Your help in cutting out these fraudulent claims and in collectors buying the crown mark coins thinking that these are the actual rare ones could bring you more support and following
Hi Peter, these figures are based only on listings for the circulation Salmon 50p that has a mintage of 200,000.
We will definitely look into further explaining the difference in the circulation and collector versions for our collectors.
Thanks, Kate