IT’S always worth checking through your loose change, just in case a rare coin that could land you a windfall has been lurking in your wallet.
One coin to look out for is a rare 10p piece with an unusual spider detail that is worth a whopping sixty times its face value.
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The coin is part of the valuable A to Z collection.
The commemorative coins were created by the Royal Mint in 2018 and re-released in 2019.
The 26-piece set includes one coin for each letter of the alphabet, exploring a number of themes, from cricket to James Bond.
Up to 304,000 of each of the A-Z 10p coins are in circulation, making them some of the most sought-after coins out there.
And many collectors are desperate to get hold of the whole set and complete the alphabet.
The W coin, which shows a spider web to indicate the World Wide Web, is one of the most sought after of the collection.
It has the lowest mintage figure of any of the alphabet coins, with just 63,000 released.
The increasing value was revealed by Change Checker when it unveiled its new eBay Tracker, which takes the last nine sold prices on eBay and gives the median price achieved.
It valued the coin at £6, almost 60 times its face value, and a £1.50 increase on its price tag in June 2024.
Change Checker said: “The A-Z of Great Britain 10p series was first issued in 2018, with a 10p representing something quintessentially British for each letter of the alphabet.
“A second wave of these 10ps was issued in 2019, and out of all of them, the 2019 W for World Wide Web 10p has the lowest mintage figure of just 63,000!
“According to our eBay Tracker, you can expect to pay around £6 for a W 10p on the secondary market, which is a 33% increase since our last update. Not a bad return on a 10p coin!”
Right now, the coin is being listed by several sellers on eBay for more than £20.
The rare coins market has been shaken up in recent weeks after a new King Charles III coin took the top spot as the rarest 50p coin in UK circulation.
The Atlantic Salmon 50p has been valued at £85.
The Royal Mint confirmed that 200,000 Atlantic Salmon coins were distributed to banks and post offices late last year, as part of a commemorative series marking the ascension of King Charles III.
Change Checker’s eBay Tracker for December 2024
The coins which have increased in value since June 2024:
- Rarest 50p (2023 Salmon) – £83.60 – up £69.10
- 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p – £6.70 – up £1.60
- 2019 World Wide Web 10p – £6 – up £1.50
- Undated 20p – £64 – up £14
- 92/93 EEC 50p – £37.50 – up 55p
The coins which have decreased in value since June 2024:
- Rarest Olympic 50p (Football) – £14.50 – down £2.39
- Rarest £2 (NI Commonwealth Games) – £31.55 – down £1.45
- Kew Gardens 50p – £142 – down £3
According to the eBay tracker, the Kew Gardens coin is still valued as the most expensive 50p coin at £145 – but demand for the Atlantic Salmon is on the rise at a much quicker rate.
Remember that a coin is only worth as much as someone is willing to buy it for.
If you’re ever unsure of how much a coin should be sold for, it helps to look at what prices other people are listing.
You can also run it through Change Checker’s Scarcity Index to get a sense of its value.
Rare coins, especially those with low mintages, can fetch hundreds and even thousands of pounds.
Error coins, produced with manufacturing mistakes, are also highly sought after by collectors.
Some have been known to sell for as much as £1,500 to £2,500.
What makes a coin more valuable?
In most cases, a coin is valuable if a low amount were put into circulation – known as its mintage figure.
Generally, the lower a coin’s mintage figure, the more you will be able to sell it for in an auction, on eBay or Facebook Marketplace.
But this isn’t always the case and some coins have been known to sell for more than others despite more having been put into circulation.
Remember too, that a rare coin is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it on the day.
Change Checker looks at how many collectors have acquired the coin, showing how easy it is to find.
Experts also track how many times the design has been requested as a swap during the previous three months, showing them collector demand.
While the index doesn’t necessarily correspond to value, it is an effective indicator.
What do I do if I have a rare coin and how do I find out how much it’s worth?
One in every four old £1 are thought to be fake according to The Royal Mint, meaning there could be a fake in your spare change.
The Royal Mint can’t value the coin but can confirm that it’s genuine. They’ll supply you with a letter to confirm this.
Once you know if it’s real you’ll be able to sell it through a coin dealer, a specialist such as Change Checker, auction or eBay.
You can look at eBay’s recent sold prices to get an indicator of how much your coin usually goes for on the site.
Search the full name of the coin, select the “sold” listing and then toggle the search to “highest value”.
You’ll then have an idea of the amount of money that the coin is being sold for.
When it comes to selling a rare coin, you have three main options – eBay, Facebook Marketplace or auction.
If you’re selling through Facebook, be wary of the risks.
Fraudsters have contacted sellers in the past saying they want to buy a rare coin and ask for money upfront for a courier to collect it.
But the items are never picked up, leaving sellers out of pocket.
Bear in mind the safest way to sell a rare coin will more than likely be through auction.
To stop this happening, it’s worth meeting the buyer in person and in a public meeting spot that’s well-lit.
How to spot valuable items
COMMENTS by Consumer Editor, Alice Grahns:
It’s easy to check if items in your attic are valuable.
As a first step, go on eBay to check what other similar pieces, if not the same, have sold for recently.
Simply search for your item, filter by “sold listings” and toggle by the highest value.
This will give you an idea of how much others are willing to pay for it.
The method can be used for everything ranging from rare coins and notes to stamps, old toys, books and vinyl records – just to mention a few examples.
For coins, online tools from change experts like Coin Hunter are also helpful to see how much it could be worth.
Plus, you can refer to Change Checker’s latest scarcity index update to see which coins are topping the charts.
For especially valuable items, you may want to enlist the help of experts or auction houses.
Do your research first though and be aware of any fees for evaluating your stuff.
As a rule of thumb, rarity and condition are key factors in determining the value of any item.
You’re never guaranteed to make a mint, however.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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