Whether you’re a collector or just someone who likes to have a bit of change in their pocket, You may consider collecting British coins. Here are 20 British coins worth keeping around the house:
British COins Worth Keeping:
1917 George V Sovereign London
Minted in London during World War I, these coins weren’t rare back in the day. However, nearly all the 1 million coins produced were exported to the USA to help the war effort.
It is believed that these coins were eventually melted down and turned into gold bars. One of these coins was sold at an auction for £11,000 in 2012!
1933 George V Penny
This coin is considered one of the rarest British coins ever minted because it is a pattern coin.
This coin was a prototype and never went into circulation or production.
With only four in existence! This coin was sold at an auction in 2016 for £72,000!
1983 “New Pence” 2p Coin
Every 2p coin minted from February 1971 to 1982 says “new pence” on the obverse, and the later released coins say “two pence.”
Except for a batch in 1983 that was minted accidentally using the old “new pence.” on the obverse side of the coin.
Hence, this coin. This coin is believed to have a value of up to £1,250!
1703 Queen Anne VIGO Five Guinea
These were commemorative gold coins, with only 20 known today! Only a few coins were ever auctioned in the last 50 years!
So this coin was ranked as one of the rarest British coins to exist!
A private collector owned one coin, and the coin was valued at over £200,000!
Una and the Lion Gold Five-Pound Piece
A gold coin was minted in 1839 to commemorate the beginning of the reign of Queen Victoria in 1837.
This coin features Queen Victoria’s portrait on the obverse side and Queen Victora walking with a lion on the reverse side; this depicts the Queen as Lady Una, from the Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser.
One of these coins was valued at around £42,000 – £50,000!
2012 London Olympics Aquatics 50p
A set of coins were released for the London Olympics, but this particular coin stands out since it has a notable error.
The original design of the coin shows no lines obscuring the face of the swimmer, but due to an error, these coins have lines across the swimmer’s face.
It’s also unclear how many error coins are out there, but it is valued at around £1,500, depending on the condition.
Silver 2p Coin
An error coin that was minted using silver instead of nickel. It was struck using a steel base of a 10p coin instead of copper steel used for 2p coins.
These coins vary in value. One of the coins was sold online for £485, another for £800, and one for £1,350!
2009 Kew Gardens 50p Coin
The Kew Gardens 50p coin was introduced to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.
With a mintage of just 210,000, this coin is considered one of the most collectible British coins.
1973 EEC 50 Pence Coin
This commemorative coin was minted to celebrate the UK joining the European Economic Community.
This coin has an estimated 5000 units made and was given to finance ministers and senior officials.
This coin has an estimated value of £3,000!
1937 Edward VIII Brass Threepence
An experimental coin was created just after the passing of King George V, and the coins were never mass-produced.
Experts say that only less than a handful of these coins were created! However, this coin was sold for £30,000 in 2013!
1996 Football European Championships Gold Proof Two Pound
The 1996 Football European Championships Gold Proof Two Pound is one of the most sought-after British coins by collectors.
It was issued to commemorate the football tournament held in England, Scotland, and Wales that year.
This £2 coin bears a unique design representing each of these regions.
The obverse features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II with the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FID DEF around it.
The reverse side features 16 circles to signify the countries participating in the tournament.
2008 Undated 20p Coin
An error coin minted in 2008 with only 250,000 units, some coins still need a date that was issued in 2008 and 2009.
2012 London Olympics Error Coin
These coins were products of an error after being printed on a blank silver base for a 10p coin instead of the traditional copper base.
These mules are extremely rare and usually spotted by the Mint before being in circulation.
A 2012 London Olympics error coin was sold in 2016 for £1,350!
Zinc £2 Coin
A normal £2 coin is usually made using nickel brass and copper zinc. Until one sprung up in someone’s change made entirely of nickel brass.
These coins were minted in 2007 with 10,270,000 units! Experts and collectors were in awe when they saw this nickel-brass coin. They value it at more than £1,300!
Bronze 20p Coin
This bronze 20p coin is one of the rarest because it was minted on a blank 1p by mistake in 1987.
Experts have no idea how many of these coins are out there, but one was sold at an auction for £1,350!
£1 with Two Dates
These coins were minted with both 2016 and 2017 years on them, but to see the inscription, you’ll need to use a magnifying glass and see it along the rim of the coin.
This coin could go up to £3,000 if verified by the Royal Mint!
2 Pounds Bank of England 300th Anniversary – Gold
This coin was minted to commemorate the 300th Anniversary of the Bank of England.
With only 1000 minted, these coins are made of 22-carat gold! These coins are valued at around £2,500, but there are similar coins that are not 22-carat gold which values at around £15 because they are far more common and not made of 22-carat gold.
2002 £2 XVII Commonwealth Games N. Ireland
This coin was issued to commemorate the occasion of the 17th Commonwealth Games held in Manchester in 2002.
According to experts, these coins are ranked according to their rarity.
Northern Ireland has the lowest mintage with only 485,500 units minted, England with 650,000, Scotland with 771,750, and Wales with 588,500 units.
50p UK Presidency of the European Union and the Single Market
This coin has a mintage of 109,000! Even lower than the famous “Kew Gardens.”
This is one of the most sought-after coins by collectors and is also harder to find.
Edward III Gold “Double Leopard” Florin
This is the rarest and one of the most beautiful British coin ever! Minted in 1344, this isn’t something you’ll find in circulation!
This gold coin was found in the River Tyne in 1857 with two other coins; talk about rare, right? This coin was sold privately in 2006 for a whopping price of £460,000!
Before you go…
So, there you have it! 20 British coins that are worth holding onto. If you have any other suggestions, let us know in the comments below!
Check out my next article: “The Best Gold Coins To Collect!“
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