Coin News
Could I be minted? The 6 point guide to valuing your coin!
So, you’ve been hunting down that coin for what feels like a lifetime and now it’s finally turned up in your change! But after the excitement and thrill of finding that elusive coin, you find yourself asking the question, “What do I do next?”…
There are a number of options for deciding what to do with your coin and whilst many collectors enjoy holding onto them to build their collection, pass down to children, or potentially see their value change, lots of people look to sell these coins on auction sites, through dealers or on eBay.
The rarest coins out there can sell for far more than their face value, for example the Kew Gardens 50p has been known to sell up to £249 on eBay – nearly 500 times its face value! (*Correct as of April 2024).
The 6 Point Guide to valuing your coins
Before deciding whether to sell or save, you should first take a look through our 6 point guide to make sure you’re getting the most out of your coin:
1) How does your coin rate on the Scarcity Index?
The Change Checker Scarcity Index tracks which coins are the most scarce and collectable using a unique combination of mintage, collecting and swap data to give the most up-to-date picture of the collecting market.
The higher the Scarcity Index score for your coin, the more sought-after it will be to collectors.
2) How much is your coin worth?
It can be difficult to work out an exact value of a coin, as this depends on so many variants. However, once you have completed point 1, you will have a better understanding of how collectable your coin might be.
The next step is to check previously sold items on auction sites such as eBay to see how much potential buyers are willing to pay. Luckily, we’ve done the hard work for you and have put together our eBay Tracker which takes the last 9 sold listings* on eBay for 10 of the UK’s most popular coins and banknotes and works out the median selling price.
*Note: It is very important to check ‘Sold listings’ rather than active listings, as the price a coin is listed for may not be the actual price it sells at.
View our latest eBay Tracker here >>
3) How easy is it to buy your coin?
If your coin can still be purchased in Brilliant Uncirculated quality from an official Royal Mint distributor, it is unlikely that a collector would pay the same price for a circulation quality coin which might have imperfections.
4) What condition is your coin in?
Understandably, collectors are likely to pay a little extra for a coin in pristine condition, rather than a coin showing signs of wear and tear.
However, there are some rare coins (such as the 2002 Commonwealth Games Norther Ireland £2) which are very hard to find in good condition and yet they still fetch way above face value.
5) Does your coin have a story?
It’s often true that the coins with an interesting story behind them are the hardest to get hold of and so it’s worth researching your coin on our Web App to see if you can find anything that stands out or any exciting facts about the coin.
Find your coin on the Change Checker Web App >>
It’s also important to brush up on your knowledge of errors and mis-strikes which can occur on coins in our change. Keen collectors will know that it’s worthwhile paying close attention to the small details of your coins as it’s the only way you can ever hope to spot an error or mis-strike like the undated 20p or inverted effigy Britannia £2.
Mistakes happen, and when it comes to coins, these mistakes can often be worth a lot money to eagle-eyed collectors.
Check out our video on the Top 5 Error Coins and Mis-strikes in Circulation >>
If you do need extra clarification on your coin, The Royal Mint offer an authentication service starting from £20 and will provide you with a letter to confirm the coin’s authenticity.
6) Where can you sell your coin?
Now that you have a better idea of how much you could sell your coin for and why, it’s time to find a seller that’s willing to pay! Coin dealers, auction sites, Facebook coin groups and eBay are your best bets.
You can contact a member of the British Numismatics Trade Association who will advise you on auctioning your coin, although they do charge for this service. If you’re selling on eBay, be sure to set a minimum price equal to or higher than face value and be mindful that if your coin ‘sells’ at a high price, the sale may not actually go through.
Remember, your coin is legal tender and therefore will always be worth at least face value.
Whether or not you decide to sell your coin, I think you can agree that the buzz of finding rare coins in your change is second to none and one of the best hobbies to have!
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 to the Change Checker Web App today >>
SIX £5 notes worth £50,000 are kicking about in the UK…
Last month, we were gripped by football fever and the hopes of England finally bringing football home for the first time since 1966. The nation was in awe of our Golden Boot winning captain, Harry Kane and the fantastic effort of our young team, who made it through to the semi-finals before meeting their match against Croatia.
So, much to our disappointment, football didn’t come home this year, but something very special indeed has happened as a result of England’s champion goal-scorer…
Credit: SWNS/Getty
A number of unique £5 notes, engraved with a tiny portrait of footballer Harry Kane with the inscription ‘World Cup Golden Boot Winner 2018’, have been put into circulation by specialist micro-engraver Graham Short.
Short has been using fine needles to carefully etch Kane’s portrait on the ‘clear section’ of the polymer £5 notes to celebrate the England Football team, taking six days to complete each inticate design.
Credit SWNS
Six notes will be distributed by Mr Short, with the first being given to Harry Kane himself and the others being spent across the UK, including the village of Meriden (West Midlands), Edinburgh and Merthyr Tydfil. The final note is rumoured to be spent in Northern Ireland this week, so Change Checkers all over the UK, keep your eyes peeled!
Graham Short has revealed the serial numbers of these notes for you to look out for:
Credit: Graham Short
Each note is insured for £50,000, so anyone lucky enough to get their hands on one can expect that sum if they auction off the fiver.
You may remember our previous blog detailing some of Mr Short’s other work which featured a micro-engraving of Jane Austen on the Polymer banknotes of which there is still one left to find.
Eagle eyed collectors have been hunting down this final note and I’m certain will be just as excited as we are to hear about the Harry Kane notes.
Own the official coins of the 2018 FIFA World Cup™ with the official Russian Rubles
You can own both 2018 FIFA World Cup™ Commemorative Coins in uncirculated quality for just £9.99 with FREE POSTAGE!
We only have a limited number left in stock, so act quick to secure yours here >>
McDonalds are striking their own currency…
As the largest restaurant franchise in the world, it was only a matter of time until McDonald’s pulled something extravagant out the bag.
It’s safe to say they didn’t disappoint with the release of their own global currency – the MacCoin!
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Big Mac burger, McDonalds have created their OWN currency. But the question on our lips is “what are the coins worth?”
Well… the coins are only legal tender in McDonalds restaurants and can only be redeemed for a Big Mac burger.
We’re celebrating 50 years of Big Mac by creating a global currency—MacCoin—each one worth a free Big Mac around the ?, with 5 collectible designs for 5 legendary decades. Starting August 2, collect your own MacCoins when you buy a Big Mac while supplies last. #BigMac50 pic.twitter.com/xn8Z9GNLSp
— McDonald’s (@McDonalds) July 29, 2018
From 2nd August 2018, customers in the US will have the opportunity to collect FIVE different MacCoin designs, which can then be redeemed at over 14,000 restaurants across the US for a FREE Big Mac burger.
6.2 million coins will be released and are sure to be extremely sought-after by collectors and McDonalds enthusiasts from all over the world. In 2016, a McDonald’s division in the UK auctioned off a 740-milliliter bottle of sauce used in the burger for roughly $95,000 on eBay.
Sadly however, there are no plans for MacCoins to be available in the UK.
The inspiration for the coins originated from the Big Mac and the ‘Big Mac Index’, this is the annual report which uses Big Mac prices in countries around the world to see how currencies are valued.
With 1.3 billion (yes, billion!) Big Macs sold last year alone, the sale of Big Macs is expected to sky rocket even more, the perfect way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Big Mac.
Image credit: McDonalds
The launch date also celebrates of the 100th birthday of Jim Delligatti, a McDonald’s franchisee in western Pennsylvania who invented the Big Mac.
The 5 different coin designs will each represent a different decade since the release of the burger in its full glory.
•The ‘70s: Showcasing the decade’s ‘flower power’ in all its glory
•The ‘80s: Alluding to pop art culture
•The ‘90s: Defined by bold, abstract shapes
•The early ‘00s: Specifically focusing on the development of technology at the forefront of the turn of the century
•The ‘10s: Focusing on the evolution of communication and globalisation in the modern world.
Let us know what you think about McDonalds MacCoins by leaving us a comment below.
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