Rarest and most valuable Olympic Coins to look out for ahead of Paris 2024 worth upto £1,000 – exact details to spot
THERE are just weeks left until the eyes of the sporting world turn to Paris for the 2024 Olympics.
And while the nation holds its breath to see if there will be a gold rush for Team GB, you could be on to a nice little earner with your spare change.
In 2011, The Royal Mint – the UK’s official maker of British coins – put 29 50p coins into circulation to mark the 2012 London Olympics.
Christopher Collects of the Britannia Coin Company told The Sun that collectors could be willing to part with a fair bit of cash to get their hands on coins from this collection for the start of Paris 2024.
“If the country gets grabbed by Olympic fever, then there could be an increase in interest for the Olympic 50ps,” he said.
“As the years go by, fewer and fewer are turning up in circulation thanks to collectors keeping them, so with 13 years of dwindling numbers many have turned to buying ones they are missing.
“If there is a big surge in people trying to complete – or start – their Olympic 50p collections this summer, then we might well see their value increase.”
It’s important to remember that you aren’t guaranteed to fetch huge amounts if you do choose to sell your change, as prices can fluctuate based on a number of factors.
For example, demand at the time you come to sell and how common it is in circulation can affect its value.
And remember that anyone can list a coin on eBay and charge whatever amount they wish, but it’s only ever worth what someone is willing to pay.
So, looking at listing prices isn’t necessarily a reflection of what coins are actually selling for.
You will get a more accurate indication of what people are willing to pay for a specific coin by checking the “recently sold” section on eBay.
We picked Christopher’s brain to find out which Olympic coins are the most valuable and the exact designs you should be looking out for in your spare change.
Football 50p – £26
The football coins are the rarest of all the Olympics 2012 coins, with just 1,125,500 in circulation.
The coin’s design shows a football pitch with a diagram explaining the “offside” rule.
“This coin can sell for £15-£25, which is a nice markup on its 50p face value,” Christopher said.
We spotted one of these 50p coins that had sold for £26.49 on eBay on May 14 – so even higher than what it would typically fetch.
Wrestling 50p – £11
If you’ve got one of these in your pocket, it could be worth up to £11, according to recent eBay sales.
Around 1.12million of them were released into circulation and it’s the third most scared Olympic coin.
The coin was designed by graphic designer Roderick Enriquez.
Judo 50p – £12.50
Around 1,161,500 Judo 50ps were put into circulation in 2011.
Their design shows one Judo player throwing their opponent to the floor.
One of these coins recently fetched £12.50 on eBay.
If you have one of these but it’s mint condition, you’ll need to point out the scratches in your listing to make sure you’re clear with collectors as to what they’re getting.
Triathlon 50p – £18
Just 1,163,500 of the Triathlon 50p coins were released into circulation, and one fetched £18 on eBay on May 11.
Keep an eye out for the design, which shows three outlined figures – one swimming, one cycling and one running.
Christopher said that the Triathlon coin, along with the others mentioned above, are among the most valuable to collectors.
He said: “The ones collectors will be most interested in finding will be the rarer designs.
“Olympic football, wrestling, judo and triathlon 50ps are the top four.
“These are the ones that were minted in the smallest number for circulation so they are the hardest to find and where most collectors get stuck.”
Olympic Athletics 50p – £300
While the 2012 is collection well-known, they aren’t the only Olympic coins collectors should be looking out for.
The rare Blue Peter 50p was designed by nine-year-old fan Florence Jackson after she won a competition that saw more than 17,000 entries on the kids TV show.
It features a picture of an athlete in the Olympics, as drawn and depicted by the young viewer back in 2009.
It made her the youngest person ever to design a UK coin at the time.
But it wouldn’t be until 2011 that the coin was officially minted and distributed to public hands.
Around 2.2million of the Blue Peter coins were minted in 2011 and released into circulation, but an earlier version of the coin was minted in 2009 and is much more valuable to collectors.
These coins were uncirculated, meaning they were not released publicly for use in shops and had to be bought directly from the Royal Mint.
Christopher said: “In 2009, the Olympic Athletics 50p was minted to show off the design and although 100,000 were minted, these sold very badly resulting in most of them being melted back down.
“These are now really desirable coins and sell for £200-£300.”
Aquatics 50p error coin – £1,000
The Aquatics 50p formed part of the 2012 Olympic collection, with each marking a different event at the Games.
But the reason this coin is so valuable is that it is actually an error coin.
Ahead of the coin’s release in 2011, the Royal Mint redesigned the aquatics 50p with fewer water lines crossing the swimmer’s face, making them more visible.
But a small number of coins were accidentally struck with the original design and entered into circulation.
Nobody knows exactly how many of the error coins were mistakenly made, although it’s thought to be around 600, making them even more valuable to a collector.
Christopher said: “This is about as rare as UK 50ps get and can command prices in excess of £1,000.”
Just recently, the 50p sold for £1,500 at an auction run by RWB in Wiltshire.
If you’ve got one at home, check to see if the water lines cross over the swimmer’s face – if they do then you could be on to a winner.
How to check if a coin is rare
IT's time to check the loose change in your wallet and your pockets for rare coins.
But how exactly do you spot one? The Sun’s senior consumer reporter Olivia Marshall explains.
In most cases, a coin is rare if it has a low mintage figure – which is set by The Royal Mint.
The mintage figure relates to how many of the coins were made, so the fewer there are of them, the rarer they are.
You can find out what coins are rare and how they look on The Royal Mint’s website.
Your next step after this is seeing if the same coin is still available to buy in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality from an official Royal Mint distributor, according to Change Checker.
These coins have been specially made to a superior quality which differentiates them from other coins you might find in your pocket.
How to sell a rare coin
If, after checking, you realise you’ve come across a rare coin, there’s a number of ways you can sell it.
You can sell it on eBay, through Facebook, or in an auction.
But be wary of the risks.
For example, there are a number of scams targeting sellers on Facebook.
Crooks will say they’re planning to buy the item and ask for money upfront for a courier they’ll be sending around.
But it’s all a ruse to get you to send free cash to them – and they never have any intention of picking your item up.
It’s always best to meet in person when buying or selling on Facebook Marketplace.
Ensure it’s a public meeting spot that’s in a well-lit area.
Avoid payment links and log in directly through the payment method’s website.
Most sellers prefer to deal with cash directly when meeting to ensure it’s legitimate.
The safest way to sell a rare coin is more than likely at auction.
You can organise this with The Royal Mint’s Collectors Service. It has a team of experts who can help you authenticate and value your coin.
You can get in touch via email and a member of the valuation team will get back to you.
You will be charged for the service, though – the cost varies depending on the size of your collection.
Meanwhile, you can sell rare coins on eBay.
But take into account that if you manage to sell your item then eBay will charge you 10% of the money you made – this includes postage and packaging.
Always keep proof of postage to protect yourself from dodgy buyers who may claim they never received the item.
Send the parcel by tracked delivery if you can as this way they can’t claim it never arrived.
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