Rarest 50p coin with 200k in circulation – and it's worth hundreds more than face value

Whether you're an avid collector of rare coins or not, certain designs are certainly special with some 50p pieces worth an absolute fortune. It's always good to check your stash as coins featuring errors or have low mintage are highly desirable among collectors.

Now one expert unveiled the "rarest 50p coin" ever which is worth hundreds more than face value. So do you have the 2023 Atlantic Salmon 50p coin lurking in your pockets? TikTok user @CoinCollectingWizard, who boasts 254,100 followers on the platform, revealed all you need to know as he asked fans: "Do you know the rarest 50p?"

He continued: "You can find this worth £80. About 160 times its face value is the 2023 Atlantic Salmon 50p coin."

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He revealed how the 50p coin features a portrait by Martin Jennings of His Majesty King Charlies III, but it has no privy mark which is the rarest standard circulating 50p ever issued.

"Only the version dated 2023 and lacking the small crown privy mark found in annual sets is truly rare circulated pieces with this design entered everyday use and now command collector interest," he explained.

"According to collectors and sale trackers, recent eBay transitions for this coin have fetched £70-£80, with some reports even reaching more depending on condition and demand."

Speaking about the 2023 dated Atlantic Salmon coin, he claimed: "If yours does not have a Tutor Crown privy mark, it's worth £80, not the version sold in mint sets which is more common and typically worth less."

The @CoinCollectingWizard also told us exclusively: "The Atlantic Salmon 50p coin has quickly become one of the most sought-after coins in UK circulation.

"With a mintage of just 200,000, it's now officially rarer than the famous Kew Gardens 50p, which had a mintage of 210,000."

Back on October 7, 2024, it was announced only 200,000 of the 2023 Salmon Atlantic 50p coins had entered circulation the previous year, less than half of the original estimated amount.

According to Change Checker, this essentially means just one in 335 people in the UK could have the chance of bagging one of these special 50p coins.

A recent poll also found 30% of people surveyed were lucky enough to find a 2023 Salmon 50p in their change.

Meanwhile, at the beginning of each year, The Royal Mint issues an Annual Coin Set which usually includes five commemorative coins from the year ahead and a full set of definitive coins dated that year.

But the Salmon Atlantic 50p coins issued as part of the 2024 and 2025 Annual Sets will not enter circulation or feature the privy mark on the obverse.