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What do Change Checkers love about coin collecting?
Happy Valentine’s Day Change Checkers!
Today we’re celebrating our shared love of coin collecting and below you’ll find some amazing reasons why Change Checkers love this timeless hobby…
“I love all the different designs & finding them to add to your collection, I have a collection for both my children & I love seeing their faces as they look through their folders at all the different designs! Raiding my family & friends change as well is always fun.” – Lisa Owen
“ Love checking through my change for new coins for my collection. I even have my friends saving me the ‘weird coins’ and love to see them get excited for me!!” – Tyra Bisset
“It’s the anticipation of buying something when you’re out and about, seeing a shiny or well used coin and finding out it’s one you don’t have in your collection. I got my last 2 Beatrix Potter 50p’s just by having a cheeky cuppa and getting them in my change.” – Nina Goodman
“We love the different designs that are on the coins and the excitement of finding them in a hunt! ?” – Coins with Lauren and Miya
“I like that I get most of the good/new coins from my husband Sam Chisholm-Brown while he is away with work. It helps me to remember that he’s still thinking about me. This week he sent a photo of the Mary Rose, so I have that to look forward to on Friday when he gets home. P.s. He hasn’t found me a 10p yet *unicorn poop!” Jemma Chisholm-Brown
“Seeing the historical events on the coins ?. And finding new coins that you haven’t got… completing a set. There are loads.” – Lizzie Martin
“Finding a new coin you don’t have is like Christmas. I love collecting them and some of them have meaning or have been made for a reason and I like to add them to my collection.” – Ellie Bibby
“Love seeing all the different designs and the joy it gives when turning over the coin to see which design I have, old and new alike.” – Michelle Bullimore
“I love collecting coins because I love looking at all the different designs on them. When I find one I don’t have I get so excited like it’s my birthday or Christmas. All my family and friends like to join in with my hunt to so that makes me love it even more especially when they find ones I don’t have. ?” – Hannah Sutton
“The surprise element of not knowing what you’ll get in your change or coin bags.” – James Goodman
“I like the collecting element and searching through your change (and badgering friends to keep weird designed coins) in the hope you get ones you need and also they look pretty.” – Alex Campbell
“I love the hunt, and that moment of excitement when it’s another one ticked of the list.” – Robert Lipman
“It’s an investment for my kids ? they love all the different design too!” – Leanne Wallwork
“I love collecting coins for 3 reasons: the excitement of looking, the fact that they can be found in so many places, and finally, that you could actually make a small fortune.” – John Moss
“Just seeing the excitement on my daughter’s face when she finds one she hasn’t already got is priceless.” – Deborah Wood
“I love collecting coins because of the great designs on them. Also I see it as preserving a part of british history. Kids in the future will probably never see half of the 50ps and definitely never see the old round pounds.” – Bradley Knott
“Collecting coins has meant family coming together enjoying a harmless hobby, grandchildren learn a bit of history as well.” – Judith Nichols
“Used to collect stickers and cards as a kid. That excitement and anticipation of opening the pack to see what was inside is now kinda what I feel when there’s a coin that, at first glance, is obviously not the usual design.” – Adam Grimmer
“I’ve collected coins for over 25 years. I love the different designs and I have friends and family who keep an eye out for me. I also collect each country from every year as well. It’s a very exciting hobby. I love going to antiques fairs with my son who has started collecting also.” – Kathryn Michelle Robins
“The fact that the whole family can join in. My son and wife get as excited as I do when they find that elusive coin.” – Tony Maden
Thank you to everyone for sharing the reasons why you love coin collecting. As always, we love hearing from Change Checkers, so leave us a comment below to share the love and get in touch with us this Valentine’s day.
Love,
Rachel and the Change Checker team
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If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use and allows users to:
– Find and identify the coins in their pocket
– Collect and track the coins they have
– Swap their spare coins with other Change Checkers
Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app
5 Fascinating Coins from Around the World
As today is Random Acts of Kindness day, I’ve decided to take a look and some of the most random, weird and wonderful coins issued from all around the world.
Whilst these coins haven’t entered circulation, I’m sure you will agree that they are works of art from truly innovative Mints. It’s been really exciting to discover the unique coins different countries have to offer, so take a look at the designs below to see some of the fascinating coins international mints have produced.
Germany’s see through 5 Euro
Developed by Dr Peter Huber and Günther Waadt, this unusual coin is a first of its kind. Released in 2016, the see through coin features a blue plastic ring in the middle and has been named ‘Blue Planet Earth’.
Not only is the blue ring easy to identify and authenticate by the naked eye, it is made of polymer plastic which behaves like a form of insulation between the pieces of two different metals and will be easy for cash machine to recognize whether it is real or fake.
German 5 euros. Credit: coincollectionmarket.com
A German Minting Technology team has spent a decade developing this new security feature. In fact, it’s the first coin to be made from a combination of metal and plastic materials which are rumoured to change colour when exposed to UV light.
In 2017, five more coins were created to reflect Earth’s climatic zones with the use of a different coloured plastic polymer ring to represent each zone. The series will continue releasing one coin per year until 2021.
Canada’s 3D Snowball Fight 50 Cents
Image credit: www.mint.ca
We all love a snowball fight and this wonderful Canadian 50 Cent coin allows you to bring to life the magic of a snowball fight on an innovative 3D coin!
The Royal Canadian Mint is renowned for their forward thinking technology, and in 2018 they used lenticular printing to create artist Tony Bianco’s fun-filled design with an illusion of depth, which actually appears to move as the coin is viewed from different angles – so watch out for those snowballs!
It really put a smile on my face when I came upon this coin in my research, and with a mintage of just 20,000 I’m sure those few Canadian Change Checkers who were lucky enough to add this coin to their collection will really treasure this coin.
Palau’s Bottle Top Coin
This is the world’s first ever ‘beer bottle top-shaped’ legal tender coin. Issued in 2016 to honour the 500th Anniversary of the Bavarian Purity Law – the enactment by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria in 1516 states that only 4 ingredients can be used to produce the beer and even provides a restriction on pricing.
Whether you’re a beer lover or coin enthusiast – or both – I’m sure you’ll agree that this unusual coin is a fitting tribute to this landmark occasion in the history of brewing.
The obverse of the crown-cap-shaped coin shows the coat of arms of the issuing state below an outrigger canoe. Whilst the reverse shows two toasting beer mugs and a crown.
Nauru’s First Issue of the Euro 10 Dollars
Image credit: Numista
This unique and incredibly intricate ten dollar coin was issued in Nauru (a tiny island in Micronesia, northeast of Australia) in 2002 to commemorate the first Euro coinage.
The unusual coin is shaped as a map of Europe and has been struck in .999 pure silver.
On the obverse you can see the Bank of Nauru’s coat of arms and on the reverse is a gold plated Euro coin and the words ‘2002 – FIRST ISSUE OF THE EURO’.
Chad’s Earth Meteorite Gold Proof 3000 Francs
Within this Pure Gold Proof coin, issued in Chad in 2017, is a Moldavite Tektite gemstone – unique evidence of what can happen on the incredibly rare occasion that a meteorite hits the Earth.
These gemstones can only be found at five locations on Earth, and throughout the Middle Ages, they were highly prized and strictly reserved for those born of royal blood and nobility.
Struck from 0.5g of pure Gold, this coin is what is known as ‘small’ Gold – a collecting craze that is proving to be extremely popular among collectors worldwide, making this already very unique coin even more special.
With so many fascinating coins issued around the world, you don’t have to look far to find inspiration for your international collection. What do you think about the coins above and have you found any weird and wonderful coins for yourself?
The rarest 50p and £2 coins revealed! UPDATED UK mintage figures.
As collectors, we often find ourselves focusing on the commemorative coins that turn up in our change, but how often do we pay attention to the definitive designs?
We wouldn’t normally combine definitive and commemorative mintage figures into one chart, however the comparative figures give us an interesting insight into the change in our pockets and actually go to show why the definitive coin designs deserve your attention…
50p Mintage Figures
Our latest charts featuring the updated commemorative coin mintage figures for circulation coins revealed the 2017 Sir Isaac Newton 50p as the second rarest UK 50p in circulation after the Kew Gardens, with a mintage of just 1,801,500. This knocked Jemima Puddle Duck off the second spot with a whopping 298,500 less coins being struck.
Change Checkers had already shown a great response to the Sir Isaac Newton coin, voting it their favourite coin design of the year in 2017. But now, as we delve deeper into the mintage figures for not only commemorative 50p coins but also the definitive designs, an unlikely rival has pipped the 2017 Isaac Newton to the post to claim the title of the second rarest UK 50p coin in circulation…
You might be surprised by the second rarest 50p in circulation…
The chart above features the mintage figures for every commemorative and definitive UK 50p coin in circulation and whilst the Kew Gardens still remains king, it came as a surprise that the second rarest 50p was actually a definitive rather than a commemorative design.
The 2017 Royal Shield 50p has a mintage of just 1,800,000 which means there are 1,500 less coins than the 2017 Sir Isaac Newton 50p. This is by far the lowest mintage figure for any definitive 50p coin, with the next rarest definitive coin having almost double the amount of coins struck – the 2008 Britannia with a mintage of 3,500,000.
Definitive 50p coin designs
Christopher Ironside’s Britannia design featured on all UK definitive coins from their first appearance in 1969 with the words ‘NEW PENCE’ inscribed above. The inscription was revised in 1982 to say ‘FIFTY PENCE’ and this design remained unchanged until 2008, when Matthew Dent’s Royal Shield design was introduced, featuring the third and fourth quarters of the Royal Arms.
It comes as no surprise that the majority of the definitive designs can be found towards the bottom of the chart, with the most common UK 50p in circulation being the 1997 Britannia. The old larger 50p and this smaller one were both dated 1997, however the larger coin was only struck as year sets, whereas the smaller circulated in very large numbers, with a mintage of 456,364,100.
The fact that the 2017 Benjamin Bunny commemorative 50p features in amongst the definitive designs goes to show just how many of this design were struck and how likely you’ll be to find one in your change.
We haven’t included the Olympic 50p coins in the mintage chart as this was a specially struck series, with low mintages figures for each coin. You can see the Olympic 50p mintage figures here >>
£2 Mintage Figures
When it comes to the £2 coins, the Commonwealth Games are some of the rarest in circulation. In fact, all four coins would be sat at the top of the mintage charts if it wasn’t for two 2015 coins…
The rarest definitive £2 coin revealed…
Many collectors will be aware of the 2015 Navy £2‘s low mintage figure of 650,000, making it the third rarest UK £2 coin in circulation, however many of us may not know that this coin is in fact joint third, as a definitive design from the same year also holds the same low mintage figure.
In 2015, the new definitive £2 coin was introduced, with a design featuring the Britannia, replacing the Technology design which had featured on the coin since 1997. Britannia has featured on a British coin in one way or another for more than 300 years, apart from after 2008 when she was dropped from the 50p coin. She received a welcome return to British coinage for the 2015 definitive £2, but with so few coins being struck, this coin has become the third rarest UK £2 coin in circulation.
The 2016 version of the coin had a higher mintage of 2,925,000, but this is still incredibly low when compared to the 1998 Technology £2, which has a mintage of 91,110,375.
Of course the most common £2 coin you’re likely to come across in your change is the Technology £2, which dominates the bottom of the chart. The rarest of the Technology £2 coins is actually the 2005 issue, with a mintage of 3,837,250, making it the eighteenth rarest UK £2 in circulation.
You may have noticed a lack of 2017 coins on the £2 chart as to date The Royal Mint haven’t confirmed if they will enter circulation. Based on The Royal Mint’s figures, we know that no 2017 Britannia coins were struck for circulation.
I was certainly surprised by the rarity of some of the definitive designs shown on the charts above and will be checking the dates of the coins in my change very carefully to see if I can find any rarer ones for myself, but will you be doing the same?
Your chance to own the 2017 Britannia £2
This coin wasn’t struck for circulation, however you can own this coin as part of the 2017 Royal Mint Annual set.
But you’ll have to be quick, as this set is no longer on sale at The Royal Mint.