Scarcity Index
Your Scarcity Index Update: Which Coins Are Holding Strong and Who’s Climbing?
Our latest Scarcity Index update has landed – and it’s the very first update since we introduced our brand-new Indexes!
As always, the Change Checker Scarcity Index combines official mintage figures with real-time collector demand and circulation data, all carefully reviewed by our experts before release. The result? A clear snapshot of which coins are proving the hardest to find in your change right now.
So, which coins are holding strong – and which are making moves?
Let’s jump right in…
50p Scarcity Index
Since our last review, the 50p rankings have stayed impressively steady – with two familiar heavyweights continuing to lead the charge.
The 2023 Salmon 50p once again claims first place on our Scarcity Index. With an incredibly low circulation mintage of just 200,000, it remains the rarest circulating 50p ever released. If you’re lucky enough to spot one in your change, you’ve found something truly special!
Close behind is the iconic 2009 Kew Gardens 50p, holding firmly onto second place. With its tiny mintage of 210,000, it held the title of rarest UK 50p for 15 years and is still one of the most exciting coins a collector can uncover.
Peter Rabbit Hops Ahead
One of the few shifts in this update sees the 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p leap ahead of the 2018 Flopsy Bunny 50p.
Interestingly, both coins share the same circulation mintage of 1,400,000. But scarcity isn’t determined by mintage alone. Collector demand plays a huge role – and Peter Rabbit, as Beatrix Potter’s most famous character, consistently attracts strong interest.
It’s a brilliant reminder that popularity can be just as powerful as low mintage when it comes to climbing the Scarcity Index.
Football Continues to Score
The Olympic Football 50p remains firmly in the upper ranks and is looking increasingly elusive in circulation.
With a mintage of just 1,125,500, it is the rarest London 2012 Olympic 50p design. And with the FIFA World Cup 2026 on the horizon, excitement around football-themed collectables is building – potentially driving even more interest in this clever offside-rule design.
If you’re just getting started with coin collecting and want to learn more about the 50p coins in your change, you can explore our fact files here >>
Otherwise, let’s take a look at the £2 rankings…
£2 Scarcity Index
Much like the 50ps, the £2 rankings show a strong sense of stability this time around.
The 2002 Commonwealth Games £2 coins continue to dominate the top four positions.
With exceptionally low mintages – particularly the Northern Ireland £2, which saw just 485,500 coins struck for circulation – it’s no surprise they remain firmly at the top. Add to that the fact that collectors aim to secure the full set of four, and demand stays consistently high.
A Position Swap in the Top Five
The biggest change this update sees the First World War (Navy) £2 edge ahead of the 2015 Britannia £2, with the two coins swapping places.
Both were issued in 2015 with identical circulation mintages of 650,000, but the Navy £2 continues to generate conversation – largely thanks to its famous “flag” quirk.
The original design features a battleship with a clean mast. However, sharp-eyed collectors began noticing that on some coins, what appears to be a small flag can be seen flying from the top.
This sparked huge excitement, with many wondering whether two different versions had entered circulation. It was later confirmed that the “flag” was not part of the intended design, but likely the result of a cracked die during minting.
Even so, it remains one of the most talked-about modern £2 coins – and that ongoing interest is reflected in its Scarcity Index position.
Moving further down the Index…
Beyond the top rankings, many familiar favourites are holding their ground. One standout further down the list is the 2016 Great Fire of London £2.
Its dramatic reverse shows the London skyline engulfed in flames, with the inscription “THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON” above and the dates 1666–2016 below. From the sweeping smoke to the historic buildings consumed by the blaze, the intricate detailing makes it one of the most visually striking £2 designs in circulation.
Even more impressive? This was Aaron West’s first commemorative UK coin design – a remarkable achievement for a debut release.
Whether the top spots remain firmly claimed or a surprise contender starts climbing the ranks, one thing’s certain – the hunt for UK coins is far from over.
As collectors continue checking their change and demand evolves, we’ll be watching closely to see which coins make their move in our next Scarcity Index update.
So keep searching… your next great find could be closer than you think!
How much are my coins worth?
The Scarcity Index doesn’t necessarily equate to value, but it is certainly a good indicator. You can use our 6 point guide to help you determine a more realistic value for your coins.
What about 10p Coins?
As no new commemorative 10ps have entered circulation since the A–Z of Great Britain 10ps in 2018 and 2019, we’re now able to set the 10p Scarcity Index in stone. With no further releases, the rankings won’t change from this point on.
You can view the final A-Z 10p Scarcity Index at the bottom of this blog.
What about £1 Coins?
The £1 Scarcity Index has already been published for the Round £1 coins. Because they are also no longer being issued, this is now set in stone.
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This 50p Has Just Shot Up to FIRST Place – Your Updated Scarcity Index
Our brand-new Scarcity Index has just been released! It’s an exciting time for Change Checkers, as we’ve reviewed how the index is worked out, ensuring that wider data gives us the full picture for how sought-after your coins really are.
We’re starting fresh with this new index, but from the next update we’ll also include arrows to show you how many places up or down the coins have moved – helping you track your coins over time.
50p Scarcity Index
In response to the changing circulating and commemorative coin collector market, we have revised how we produce the CC Scarcity Index to highlight the top 20 most in-demand 50p and £2 coins.
It continues to draw off of key mintage information, which is augmented, with the help of AI, to incorporate market selling prices and general collector interest. The final index is reviewed by our Change Checker experts before release.
Since our last update, the 50p Scarcity Index has seen one of its most dramatic shake-ups yet – and it’s all thanks to a coin that many collectors have only just started to find in their change.
The 2023 Salmon 50p was always destined to make waves. With a tiny mintage of 200,000, it was confirmed as the rarest circulating 50p in 2024. But rarity is only about how many were made – scarcity shows how hard a coin is to find today. And now, collectors have spoken. The Salmon 50p has jumped straight to the top of the Scarcity Index, making it the scarcest 50p in circulation, even overtaking the famous 2009 Kew Gardens 50p.
The Kew Gardens 50p has still, however, been the benchmark for rarity ever since its release in 2009, with a tiny mintage of just 210,000. It’s every coin collectors dream of finding one in their change, so it’s no surprise it remains second on our Scarcity Index and continues to be one of the most hotly hunted UK 50ps ever.
Some of the 50ps sitting towards the lower end of the top 20 this time include the Wheelchair Rugby 50p, Pride 50p and Brexit 50p, which have all seen shifts since our last update.
Did you know?
The Pride 50p is one of the only UK coins designed by a collective of artists rather than a single designer – the Pride UK community itself shaped the final look. It’s a rare example of a coin where multiple voices came together to represent a shared history and movement!
It’s worth remembering that the 50ps appearing towards the bottom of this update’s index are still among the 20 most sought after in circulation – and finding any of them in your change is becoming increasingly tricky.
If you’re just getting started with coin collecting and want to learn more about the coins in your change, you can take a look at our fact files here >>
Otherwise, keep reading to see which £2 coins are worth keeping an eye out for.
£2 Scarcity Index
Although no new commemorative £2 coins have entered circulation since 2016, there are still plenty of rare and sought-after designs hiding in your change.
As expected, the 2002 Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games £2 remains in 1st place, followed closely by the England, Scotland, and Wales Commonwealth Games £2 coins. With their famously low mintages, it’s no surprise that all four always feature at the top of the Index.
The 2015 Britannia £2 takes 5th spot. With its tiny circulation mintage of just 650,000, it remains the lowest-minted definitive £2 ever released – and its rise this update only reinforces its status as one of the “key date” £2 coins to look out for.
When the coin was released, nobody realised it would be rare – collectors actually ignored it at first because they assumed the Royal Mint would mint millions. 2015 was the changeover year, when the Royal Mint switched from the long-standing “Technology” £2 design to the new Britannia reverse, so most people expected a huge run of coins to support the transition.
It wasn’t until the official mintage report came out a whole year later that everyone realised just how few had been made. By then, most people had already spent or lost theirs in change…
Moving further down the Index, the London 2012 Handover £2 and Olympic Centenary £2 continue to attract steady collector interest, while the Olympic Handover £2 remains a standout. A fun fact: the 2008 and 2012 Handover coins form a matched pair, marking the symbolic passing of the Olympic Games from Beijing to London and then London to Rio, making them especially popular with collectors who want the full Olympic story represented in their sets.
It’ll be interesting to see how these rankings evolve as collectors continue to hunt down the rarest designs, and we’re excited to revealwhere each circulating 50p and £2 lands in our next new and updated Scarcity Index!
How much are my coins worth?
The Scarcity Index doesn’t necessarily equate to value, but it is certainly a good indicator. You can use our 6 point guide to help you determine a more realistic value for your coins.
What about 10p Coins?
As no new commemorative 10ps have entered circulation since the A–Z of Great Britain 10ps in 2018 and 2019, we’re now able to set the 10p Scarcity Index in stone. With no further releases, the rankings won’t change from this point on.
You can view the final A-Z 10p Scarcity Index at the bottom of this blog.
What about £1 Coins?
The £1 Scarcity Index has already been published for the Round £1 coins. Because they are also no longer being issued, this is now set in stone.
Receive new UK coins without the hassle of placing orders on the day of release!
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How sought-after are your coins? Your Scarcity Index Update
It’s time for your latest Scarcity Index update, where we reveal the UK’s most sought-after circulation coins!
This information has been compiled using data from the Change Checker Swap Centre and presented in the easy to use indexes below, with arrows to signify how many places up or down a coin has moved since the last Scarcity Index.
50p Scarcity Index
Since our last update, most of the 50ps have had a shuffle around, although the bottom of the list has remained fairly stable.
The 2009 Kew Gardens 50p held the title for the rarest UK 50p in circulation for 15 years with a mintage of just 210,000, before it was replaced by the 2023 Salmon 50p, which has a mintage figure 10,000 less. Given the amount of time the Kew Gardens 50p spent establishing itself as the holy grail of coin collecting, it remains at the top of our Scarcity Index as the most sought after 50p.
It’s been nearly a year since the mintage figures for the 2023 Salmon 50p were announced, and we found out that just 200,000 are in circulation! Despite a slow start on the Scarcity Index, it is now climbing up the ranks, having shot up 13 places since our last update.
Some of the 50ps that have moved up the index significantly include the Libraries 50p which climbed 25 places, the Olympic Rowing 50p which went up 16 places and the Olympic Hockey 50p, climbing 21 places.
Moving down the index is the Ironside 50p which has fallen a whopping 24 places, and the Paddington at the Palace and Tom Kitten 50ps which have both gone down 15 places.
If you’re new to collecting and want to find out more about circulation coins, you can check out our fact files here >>
Otherwise, keep reading to find out which 10ps and £2 coins you should be looking out for.
£2 Scarcity Index
Although no new commemorative £2 coins have entered circulation since 2016, there has been quite a shakeup in the £2 Scarcity Index this time.
As always, the 2002 Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games £2 remains in 1st place and the 2002 England Commonwealth Games £2 in 2nd place due to their extremely low mintage. Our previous definitive £2 coin design – the Technology £2 – remains in last place, which isn’t surprising considering it’s whopping mintage of 416,145,838 across all issuing years!
Both the Mary Rose £2 and the Rugby World Cup £2 have fallen 10 places, however the Kitchener First World War £2 has shot up 11 places.
Other notable changes are the Brunel Portrait £2 which has dropped 9 places, the Trinity House £2 which climbed 6 places and the Shakespeare Histories £2 which shot up 6 places.
The Final 10p Scarcity Index
As no new commemorative 10p coins have entered circulation since the A-Z of Great Britain 10ps issued in 2018 and 2019, we’re now at a point where we can set the 10p Scarcity Index in stone. The fluctuations we’ve seen in recent Scarcity Index updates are likely caused by a spike in the amount of swaps being listed on the Change Checker Swap Centre. See our final 10p Scarcity Index below.
This is also the case for the Round £1 coins which are no longer being issued, you can find the final £1 Scarcity Index here: Round £1 coins.
How our Scarcity Index works
In the past, collectors have relied on mintage figures alone to identify the scarcest coins. But they only tell part of the story.
That’s why we’ve combined the mintage information with two other key pieces of information:
- How many of each design are listed as “collected” by Change Checkers on our Web App, indicating the relative ease of finding a particular coin
- The number of times a design has been requested as a swap on our Swap Centre over the previous 3 months, showing the current level of collector demand.
Importantly, as new coins are released and popularity rises and falls across different designs, the Scarcity Index will be updated quarterly. This allows Change Checkers to track the relative performance of the UK’s circulation coins.
How much are my coins worth?
The Scarcity Index doesn’t necessarily equate to value, but it is certainly a good indicator. You can use our 6 point guide to help you determine a more realistic value for your coins.
Receive new UK coins without the hassle of placing orders on the day of release!
Join the Change Checker UK CERTIFIED BU Subscription Service and receive new UK coins sent to your door without the hassle of placing orders on the day of release!
Don’t miss your chance to get ahead of the crowd and be one of the very first collectors to receive the latest UK new issue coins as soon as possible after their release.