NATIONAL PLATINUM JUBILEE 50p for 50p BALLOT ANNOUNCED!

2022 marks Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II‘s Platinum Jubilee – an incredible 70 year reign that makes her the longest reigning living monarch worldwide!

At Change Checker HQ, we’ve been celebrating this royal milestone with the issue of the brand new 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p coin, issued earlier this year.

And today, we’re excited to announce our National Platinum Jubilee 50p for 50p ballot is open!

This was the UK’s first royal 50p and featured a special obverse design of Her Majesty on horsebacknever before seen on a UK 50p!

It was so sought-after that the entire limited edition range sold-out within less than 24 hours at The Royal Mint!

In addition to the 50p coins won in our Face Value Coin Ballot, Change Checker also swapped 7,808 Platinum Jubilee 50p coins at our four Live Coin Swap Events (1,952 coins per event!).

And now, we’re delighted to have opened our National Platinum Jubilee 50p for 50p ballot, in celebration of the UK’s biggest bank holiday, coming in June!

Your chance to own the 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p for JUST 50p

Today, you have the opportunity to enter the Change Checker ballot for the chance to be one of the 1,952 lucky collectors to own this sought-after coin for JUST 50p!

Simply click here to enter for free!

The winners will be contacted via email on the 1st June with details of how to claim your new 50p coin for just 50p.

Best of luck, Change Checkers!


Don’t want to miss out?

Secure the brand new 2022 UK Platinum Jubilee 50p for your collection in Brilliant Uncirculated quality today! Simply click here to guarantee yours for £4.99 (+p&p) >>

Your coin will come struck to a Brilliant Uncirculated quality, protectively encapsulated in official Change Checker packaging – the perfect way to preserve your coin for generations to come!

New £1 coin design to enter circulation!

A brand new £1 coin is set to enter circulation, marking the 40th anniversary of it’s introduction!

The Nations of the Crown £1 in hand.
The 2017 12-sided £1 coin.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced that artist Michael Armitage will design the new coin.

It’s believed the coin’s design will celebrate the culture, creativity, and heritage and history of the UK in the 21st century.

Speaking at a Royal College of Art’s (RCA) reception, Mr Sunak said: “I am delighted that Michael will lend his vision to the creation of this new £1 coin design in its 40th anniversary year. This coin will symbolise the rich tapestry of modern Britain and honour our deep heritage and history.”

Michael Armitage was earlier this year elected as a Royal Academician in the category of painting by the Royal Academy of Arts, London – meaning we’re sure to see a fantastic design on this brand new coin!

This will be the the first new £1 design since 2017 and Armitage said it will “combine our 1,100 years of craftsmanship with cutting-edge design to champion modern Britain.”

The 12-sided £1 coin has been in circulation since its introduction in 2016, having replaced the familiar round pound coins. It’s aim was to be the most secure coin yet.

This brand new design will become the standard circulating £1 coin* and will include the current “world-leading” high-security features to protect against counterfeiting, the Treasury said.

We can’t wait to see the design of this brand new coin and to start searching for it in our change! Let us know in the comments below if you’re excited to find this new coin!

*The new coin will enter circulation in 2023, marking the 40th anniversary of the modern £1 coin.


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

£19bn in old UK banknotes and coins not cashed in!

£18.9bn worth of paper banknotes and round pounds remain in circulation, with over 113 million of these being £5 notes! Despite it being nearly five years since the paper £5 note lost its legal tender status*, it seems people are holding on them.

In fact, you might just have one in your pocket/wallet/down the back of the sofa right now!

Whilst the paper £10 and £5 notes have been withdrawn from circulation, the £20 and £50 paper banknotes will hold their legal tender status until 30 September 2022.

According to the Bank of England, 775 million paper banknotes remain in circulation:

  • Paper £5 notes in circulation: 113 million
  • Paper £10 notes in circulation: 73 million
  • Paper £20 notes in circulation: 360 million
  • Paper £50 notes in circulation: 209 million

That’s a lot of banknotes!

*Whilst the paper £5 and £20 notes are no longer legal tender, they will always be exchanged by the Bank of England for their face value.

There are also supposedly £105m of old round pound coins in circulation, according to the Royal Mint.

After more than 30 years in the nation’s pockets, the familiar round £1 coin was replaced with an all new, 12-sided £1 coin in 2017, in a bid to crack down on counterfeiting.

It lost its legal tender status at midnight on 15 October 2017 and the Royal Mint asked the public to return their round pounds as they phased in the new 12-sided coin.

However, out of 1.6 billion round pounds to be returned, about 1.45 million were counterfeits!

The UK’s 12-sided £1 coin is described by the Royal Mint as the ‘most secure in the world’, with a string of anti-counterfeiting details. Find out more about the security details of this coin here!

Round pounds can still be deposited at high street banks – but can no longer be spent in shops.

Have you held on to your round pounds or paper notes? Let us know in the comments below!


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