General info
Change Checker LIVE Red Arrows 50p Swap! Join us at the Royal International Air Tattoo 2025
We’re extremely excited to announce that we’re returning to the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) this year for another Change Checker Live 50p Swap!
Join us at RIAT from Friday 18th to Sunday 20th July 2025 where we’ll be giving collectors the chance to swap ANY UK 50p coin for the 2025 UK Red Arrows 50p.
PLUS – there’ll be 1 silver 50p up for grabs each day!
Silver 50p Giveaway
Each day, swappers will have the chance to get their hands on a Silver Proof 2025 Red Arrows 50p during our Silver Giveaway hour!
For 1 hour only each day we’re at the event, there’ll be 1 Red Arrows 50p with a special sticker in our lucky dip box, and whoever picks it out will get not only the 2025 UK Red Arrows 50p in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just 50p, but they’ll also get a Silver Proof 2025 Red Arrows 50p FOR FREE!
Keep an eye on our social channels to find out when the Silver Giveaway Hour will be each day and make sure you’re in the queue ready for your chance to win a Silver 50p!*
The Royal International Air Tattoo
Known as the world’s largest military air show, the Royal International Air Tattoo takes place at RAF Fairford, where thrilling sights and sounds of several hundred aircraft, from all eras and countries of the world, gather for this unique adrenalin-fuelled occasion.
We were lucky enough to attend the show in 2023 and 2024 and we can’t wait to return!
We’ll be swapping 50ps with collectors across all three days, so be sure to come and say hello!
FAQs
How do I buy tickets to the event?
Tickets for the Friday and Saturday are sold out, but you can still buy tickets for Sunday 20th here >>
How do I get there?
Visitor travel details can be found on the Royal International Air Tattoo website here >>
Where can I find you at the event?
You can find us in Shopping Village B, exact location to follow.
How many coins can I swap?
Such is the popularity of our Live Coin Swaps, and to ensure it’s fair for everybody, we’re limiting the number of swaps to strictly 1 per person.
Can I reserve a coin before I arrive?
To ensure a fair swap event for everyone, we do not offer reservations of coins. It is a strictly first come first served basis.
How does the Silver 50p Giveaway work?
Anyone is eligible to swap any UK 50p for the 2025 UK Red Arrows 50p in Brilliant Uncirculated quality at any time in the 3 days we’ll be at the show, but you can choose to save your swap for the Silver Giveaway Hour (which will be announced on our social channels each day) for your chance to win the Red Arrows 50p in Silver Proof quality!
Can’t make it?
If you can’t make it to our swap at RIAT, don’t worry! You can still add the 2025 UK Red Arrows 50p to your collection in superior collection quality.
Secure your 2025 UK Red Arrows 50p for just £9.99 (+p&p) >>
*Details of the Silver 50p Giveaway may be subject to change.
The story of the undated 20p
It’s regarded by many as the ‘Holy Grail of change collecting’, and back in 2008, the undated 20p saga encouraged an entire country to start carefully checking their coins. In fact plenty of collectors are still doing just that in the hope of finding one.
Online sellers have set prices sky high, with one seller asking for an astonishing £10m for the coin! However, although these chancers are unlikely to see their coin actually selling for that price, some people have been willing to pay in the thousands for the chance to own one of these rare coins.
The story so far
In 2008, the reverse of each denomination from 1p to £1 was redesigned by Matthew Dent to feature a different part of the Royal Arms Shield. The 20p had previously included the date on the reverse, but with the entire face of the coin now devoted to the new design, the Royal Mint produced a new die with the date on the obverse (Queen’s head) side.
However, when the new Royal Shield 20p coins were struck for circulation, the old die was accidentally used, meaning a batch was issued with no date on either side of the coin!
Coins with mismatched sides like these are known in the collecting world as ‘mules’ – the name deriving from the hybrid offspring of a horse and a donkey. Mule coins are always highly coveted, but they rarely receive the kind of mainstream media attention afforded to the undated 20p.
The first of its kind in 300 years
The undated 20p became the first coin in over 300 years to enter circulation without a date, and when the story broke in the press, it caused a frenzy not just in the collecting world but amongst the general public, who realised they stood just as good a chance as anyone of pulling one out of their change.
Estimates have varied over the years but The Royal Mint confirmed in a statement that no more than 250,000 coins made it into circulation.
Stories from numerous media outlets fuelled rumours about the coin’s value. Experts suggest that the faulty 20ps could be worth £50 each, however sellers on eBay listed the coins for thousands, with one lucky seller fetching a colossal £7,100 – 35,500 times face value!
Of course, a coin with such a high mintage could never really be worth that sort of figure, and in recent years, the average selling price for an undated 20p has levelled off. Nowadays, they normally sell for around the £50-£60 mark which I’m sure you’ll agree is still not a bad return for a 20p coin!
Check out our eBay Tracker to see how much the undated 20p has been selling for in recent years >>
In terms of rarity, you are approximately twice as likely to find an undated 20p as you are the famous Kew Gardens 50p. However, ordinarily an undated 20p will sell for more. But why?
The reason quite simply is that everyone loves a good story.
The fact that the coin only exists by way of a freak accident really adds to its appeal, and makes it a collector’s item in every sense of the term. So remember to have a good look at your 20p next time you’ve got one in your hand as it could be worth a lot more than you thought!
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
Coin Grading Explained
Coin grading is all about how much wear a coin has and how many details remain. It’s the key to understanding a coin’s quality and how well it’s survived over time. Every bump, scratch, and smoothed-down detail tells a story.
The Basics
To understand coin grading, you must first understand the basics, such as the original strike type of your coin. You may have spotted coins labelled BU (Brilliant Uncirculated) or Proof, these strike types tell us how the coin was made.
- MS (Mint state or Circulation): A Mint State coin struck for general circulation.
- BU (Brilliant Uncirculated): A coin that’s never been in circulation, made using hand polished dies to give a high-quality finish.
- PF (Proof): Coins struck multiple times with highly polished dies for collectors, often boasting a mirror-like shine.
- SP (Specimen): Somewhere between a BU and a Proof. Specially made, but not quite a full Proof.
- Bullion: These coins are struck for large-scale production and are of a lower standard compared to proof and BU coins. They are primarily used for bullion investment and do not have the same level of detail or finish.
Did you know, coins intended for circulation are struck just once at a rate of up to 750 per minute, whereas Brilliant Uncirculated coins are struck twice with a greater force at a rate of up to 300 per minute, giving much more definition. Proof coins go the extra step and are struck several times at a rate of between 50 and 100 per hour.
Grading Letters and What They Mean
Grading starts from Poor (PO) and goes all the way up to Mint State 70 (MS70), meaning a perfect coin with no visible flaws – even under 5x magnification!
The basic traditional grading abbreviations can be explained as follows:
- PO – Poor: Just enough detail to identify the coin.
- FR – Fair: Some details visible.
- AG – About Good: Heavily worn, but most of the design is still visible.
- G – Good: Wear throughout, but main design elements remain.
- VG – Very Good: More detail, but still worn.
- F – Fine: Moderate wear, letters and digits still sharp.
- VF – Very Fine: Most details intact, some light wear.
- XF – Extremely Fine: Just minor wear on high points.
- AU – Almost Uncirculated: Virtually no wear, full details.
- UNC – Uncirculated: No signs of wear from circulation.
- Fleur de Coin – A coin in a mint state with an exceptional strike and no flaws. This grade is very rarely used.
If you want to get even more granular, the Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) uses a 70-point scale to grade their coins, here are just a few highlights from their extensive scale:
- PO1 – Poor: Just enough detail to identify the coin.
- G4–G6 – Good: Only the major design elements are still visible.
- F12–F15 – Fine: Letters sharp, details soft.
- VF20–VF35 – Very Fine: Strong detail, moderate wear.
- XF40–XF45 – Extremely Fine: Full detail with only light wear.
- AU50–AU58 – Almost Uncirculated: Nearly perfect with just a whisper of wear.
- MS60–MS70 – Mint State: No wear, straight from the mint. MS70 is the holy grail.
Look for the “+” and the “★”
Sometimes a coin just shines, literally! That’s where Plus (+) and Star (★) designations come in:
- Plus (+): Right at the top of its grade — almost good enough for the next level.
- Star (★): Exceptional eye appeal – better than others at the same grade.
These are given automatically by NGC’s graders, so if your coin gets one, it’s extra special!
Colour, Contrast, and Character
Serious collectors love the finer details. Here are some extras you might see:
- RD / RB / BN – Tells you how much red (mint lustre) remains on a copper coin.
- Cameo / Ultra Cameo – Seen on Proof coins. Contrast between shiny fields and frosted details.
- PL / DPL – Prooflike and Deep Prooflike. These aren’t Proofs, but they’ve got that glossy, mirror finish.
What to look out for
If you’re checking your change or picking up a collector piece, here are the key things to look out for:
- Is the design still crisp?
- Can you spot any wear?
- Are there any scratches or dents?
- Has it been specially struck (Proof, BU)?
- Any bonus designations like + or ★?
The better the grade, the rarer and more desirable the coin often is!
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