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It’s time for your latest Scarcity Index update, where we reveal the UK’s most sought-after circulation coins of the last three months! As we continue to go out and spend more cash, we’ve seen some BIG movers and shakers on our Scarcity Index.

There’s been some HUGE shakeups on our A-Z 10p Index, as well as two new additions to our 50p Index.

You can use the updated A-Z 10p, 50p and £2 indexes below to discover how sought-after the coins in your collection really are.

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.

A-Z 10p Scarcity Index

In the biggest shake up we’ve ever seen on our Scarcity Indexes, the Lochness Monster 10p has climbed an incredible 17 places! Having also been bumped down the A-Z 10p Index by 17 places, the Mackintosh 10p is now in our bottom 4!

Our top two coins have also switched positions, with the Robin 10p now holding top spot. Only 64,000 of these coins entered circulation in 2019, so combined with its 2018 mintage of just 220,000 it makes it is the 4th rarest A-Z 10p coin!

Regardless of where they feature in the above index, if you have any of the A-Z 10ps in your collection you should consider yourself very lucky. A maximum of only 304,000 of each design entered circulation!

Find out which A-Z 10p coins have the lowest mintages here >>

Other key movers include the Jubilee 10p and Stonehenge 10p, having both climbed 14 places – these are definitely the ones to watch!

50p Scarcity Index

Earlier this year we received the updated figures for 2020 circulation coins, including the UK Withdrawal from European Union (Brexit) 50p and the Diversity Built Britain 50p.

This updates sees the two 2020 50p coins make their entrance towards the bottom of our 50p Scarcity Index. The rarest of the trio to be released is the Withdrawal from the EU 50p, commonly known as the Brexit 50p, with a circulating mintage of 10,001,000. This is closely followed by the Diversity Built Britain 50p with a mintage of 10,300,000.

These numbers are fairly high for commemorative coins, meaning collectors stand a good chance of finding these ones in their change!

The Olympic Rowing and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle 50p coins have both climbed 10 places each, shifting them further up our 50p Index and making them even more sought-after. This Scarcity Index Update also sees the Olympic Sailing and Gymnastics 50ps dropping 10 and 12 places respectfully.

With lots of big movers and shakers on our 50p Index, it’s a reminder to keep checking your change as you never know what treasure you’ll discover…

£2 Scarcity Index

Sadly, with no £2 coins having entered circulation since 2017, there’s no surprises there’s not a huge amount of movement on our £2 Index.

However, we’ve seen the Commonwealth Games Wales £2 be bumped down the index by a further four places, after dropping by 3 in the last update too! This has created quite some distance between this coin and the other three Commonwealth Games £2 coins…

We’ve also seen the Shakespeare Histories £2 coin climb by an impressive nine places, with the Brunel Paddington Station dropping seven.

How your Scarcity Index works

Generally collectors have had to rely upon mintage figures to identify the scarcest coins.  But they only tell part of the story.  Trying to find a good quality coin from 15 – 20 years ago, even for a higher mintage issue, is much more challenging than a more recent issue, as coins become damaged over time and are ultimately removed from circulation.

Additionally, some designs are more hoarded than others by people who might not normally collect coins – the poignant First World War £2 Coin series being an example. Finally, it can be up to a couple of years before the Royal Mint eventually confirms the actual mintage for an issue.

That’s why we have combined the mintage information with two other key pieces of information.

• How many of each design are listed as “collected” by Change Checkers, indicating the relative ease of finding a particular coin.
• The number of times a design has been requested as a swap 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 allowing Change Checkers to track the relative performance of the UK’s circulation coins.

How much are my coins worth?

The Scarcity Index does not necessarily equate to value but it is certainly an effective indicator.  For example, the Kew Gardens 50p coin commands a premium of up to 200 times face value on eBay.

You can use the 6 point guide to help you determine a more realistic value for your coins.

What about £1 Coins?

The £1 Scarcity Index has already been published for the Round £1 coins and, because they are no longer being issued, this is now set in stone.

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