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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Ketsuda Phoutinane & Steven White & Abbie Meehan

Rare 50p coin may be worth 120 times the original value if spotted - how to find it

A rare 50 pence coin that was minted in the 1990s may be worth a lot more than its original value - and you could have it in a piggy bank somewhere.

The piece might be worth a whopping £60, and is 30 years-old - but people may struggle to get their hands on one as it was only minted 109,000 times. As reported by the Daily Record, it's considered to be a harder find than the popular Kew Gardens 50 pence coin.

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The coin, dedicated to the European Community which existed before the EU, was put into circulation by the Royal Mint between 1992 and 1993.

Only 109,000 of these coins were ever created, in comparison to the 210,000 Kew Gardens coins made. This means the European Community 50 pence is almost twice as rare, making it harder to source.

Despite the rarity of the coin, some experts believe that it may well be possible for people to find one sitting inside a piggy bank, or at the bottom of a wallet.

The coin is a celebration of the Presidency of the Council of European Community Ministers and the completion of the Single Market. You can spot the coin as it features a birds-eye view of a conference table linked with lines and 12 stars.

12 chairs are also placed around the coin too - one for each minister. It was stamped on an older, bigger 50p design that was removed from circulation in 1997 and replaced by a smaller version.

The design of the EC 50p coin (pictured) features a table with 12 chairs and 12 stars on its design. (changechecker.org)

Coin experts at Change Checker have said that the coin could be worth up to £60, which is working out at up to 120 times more than its original value. However, despite Kew Garden 50ps being easier to find in theory, they are worth much more than EC 50p coins.

Earlier in 2022, Kew Garden 50 pence coins were selling on eBay for £215, 430 times more than its original value. The valuable piece featured the famous Chinese Pagoda from the gardens being intertwined by a leafy climber.

This coin attracted 31 bids at an auction that lasted over seven days in total. The coin was minted in 2009 to celebrate 250 years of Kew Gardens.

Anybody who finds a Kew Gardens coin should be checking the date, as the Royal Mail reissued these coins in 2019. The more recent coin would fetch between £70 and £80 at auction.

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