CHECKING down the back of your sofa or in your coat pockets might result in a windfall if you can find any rare coins.
The Royal Mint, the official maker of British coins, regularly puts limited edition pieces into general circulation.
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And because there’s only a limited amount around, they can sell for multiple times their face value.
Commemorative editions of coins that have recently come into circulation may also be worth something as collectors like to have a full set.
Or coins with mistakes may also pique a collector’s interest.
Coins bearing King Charles’ face only began to enter circulation at the end of 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth in September of that year.
Here are some of the coins with the King’s image which could be worth more than face value.
Atlantic Salmon
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One coin issued at the end of 2023 sold for £164 on eBay in October – a whopping 82 times its face value.
The coin in question is the King Charles Atlantic Salmon 50p that first entered circulation in November 2023.
The coin is one of eight new special varieties released by the Royal Mint, reflecting the King’s passion for conservation and the natural world.
The coin is marked with an engraving of salmon fish jumping out of Atlantic ocean water.
A spokesperson for Copes Coins explained: “The current mintage rumours estimate that only 500,000 of these coins were released into general circulation in November 2023.”
That means if you have one, it is potentially valuable.
King Charles base set
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Eight new coins – 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2 – were produced in 2023 to mark the new King’s reign.
And while the 50p and £1 could soon be in your purse, it could be some time until all the others enter regular circulation.
This particularly applies to the coppers, as none were produced by the Royal Mint this year due to a drop in demand.
When these coins were released they were issued as a commemorative base set, which sold for anywhere between £34 and £100, depending on where you bought it.
But now, those sets regularly sell at Ebay auction for £150, meaning you could make money if you’re willing to sell it on.
£1 bee – with an error
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While 2.975 million King Charles III £1 coins with a bee design entered circulation in August 2024, an error found on one coin has made them potentially extremely valuable.
Diane Bath, who runs the Post Office in Broughton-in-Furness, Cumbria, found a King Charles III bee £1 made in entirely one colour.
Normally pound coins are struck from a nickel-brass outer ring and have an inner piece made from a nickel-plated brass alloy.
But the single colour coin found by Ms Bath was so rare that it sold for £1,250 at an auction held by Ryedale Auctioneers in October.
So if you ever spot another one, you might be set for a bumper payday.
What are the most rare and valuable coins?
And it’s not just coins which may be valuable.
A rare King Charles £20 banknote sold for £7,000 at a charity auction held by Spink and Son on behalf of the Bank of England in July 2023.
The banknote had the serial number EH 01 000002, and other similarly low serial numbers could fetch a lot of money too.
The new banknotes with King Charles on them began rolling out across the country from June 2023.
It is the first time the sovereign has been changed on the Bank of England’s notes because Queen Elizabeth II was the first British monarch to be depicted on a note back in 1960.
How to sell a rare coin
There are several ways you can sell rare coins – on eBay, Facebook, or in an auction.
If you’re selling on Facebook, there are risks attached.
Some sellers have been targeted by scammers who say they want to buy a rare note or coin and ask for money up front to pay for a courier to pick it up.
But the courier is never sent and you’re left out of pocket.
It’s always best to meet a Facebook seller in person when buying or selling a rare note or coin.
Ensure it’s a public meeting spot that’s in a well-lit area and if you can, avoid using payment links.
You can also sell at auction, which is generally the safest option.
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 by 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.
It is worth checking drawers and pockets to see if you have any coins of any value.
Although remember, a coin is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it at the time.
The rare Blue Peter Olympic 50p has been flogged on eBay for £205 in the past.
The coin shows an athlete doing the high jump and was drawn by nine-year-old Florence Jackson after winning a competition on the kid’s TV show.
Plus, one seller managed to pocket a whopping £63,000 flogging his Battle of Hasting’s 50p too.
So-called ‘error coins’ tend to be worth a lot too, because there’s rarely more than a few thousand of them in circulation.
One 50p that was mistakenly struck twice sold for as much as £510 on eBay because it was rare.
It’s not only 50ps either – a rare error 10p coin sold for over 1,000 times more than its face value on eBay in the past.
Likewise, there are several rare £2 coins in circulation which could be worth just under £50.
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.
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