• The Royal Mint has today revealed the rarest coins to have entered circulation during Her Late Majesty’s reign.
• The list has been compiled as the 2022 mintage figures are published for the first time.
• Rare coins to look out for include the 2009 Kew gardens 50p and a selection of special alphabet 10p’s from 2018 and 2019

31st August 2023:

The Royal Mint has today revealed some of the rarest coins to enter circulation during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. The list has been compiled as the 2022 figures are published for the first time.

2022 marked a new era for British coinage as the last coins bearing Queen Elizabeth II were struck, and the first coins featuring King Charles III entered circulation. Today The Royal Mint reveal the volume and variety of coins produced during this pivotal year, including special 50 pence pieces to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, 50 years of Pride and to commemorate the passing of Britain’s longest serving monarch.

Queen Elizabeth II appeared on more UK coins than any other British monarch - with approximately 27 billion coins still in active circulation. The nation’s most collectible coin is the 50p, and over 100 different designs have appeared on the 50p piece since its introduction. These included special designs for the Platinum Jubilee, the London 2012 Olympics, and a series of characters from Beatrix Potter’s classic tales.

Mark Loveridge, Director of UK Currency at The Royal Mint said; “2022 marked one of the biggest changes in coinage since decimalisation as we moved from the reign of Queen Elizabeth II to King Charles III. The coinage of Queen Elizabeth II spanned 70 years and special designs issued into circulation celebrated some of the biggest events in history. Although the 2022 mintage figures mark the last time that Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait will appear on new coins, over 27 billion of her coins will remain in circulation.

“Coin collecting remains a popular hobby in the UK and the coins of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign are particularly coveted. By sharing the list of rare designs we hope people will look closely at their coins - if they’re lucky they might find a piece of history.”  

 

The rarest circulating coins of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign:

Year released	Coin denomination	Design features	Mintage	Still in active circulation
2019	10 pence	A special set of A – Z ten pence’s celebrating Britain – ranging from the angel of the north to Zebra crossings.	Letters Y, W and Z each had a mintage of 63,000	Yes
2019	10 pence	A special set of A – Z ten pence’s celebrating Britain – ranging from the angel of the north to Zebra crossings.	The letter ‘R’ had a mintage of 64,000	Yes
2019	10 pence	A special set of A – Z ten pence’s celebrating Britain – ranging from the angel of the north to Zebra crossings.	All other letters in 2019 had a mintage of 84,000	Yes
1992 - 1993 dated [1]	50 pence	A 50p coin to celebrate the UK's presidency of the European Council of Ministers, and the completion of the Single Market	A mintage of 109,000 (lowest number of 50ps issued into circulation)	No
2009	50 pence	A 50p coin to celebrate the nation’s most famous royal botanical garden	A mintage of 210,000	Yes
2018 dated	10 pence	A special set of A – Z ten pence’s celebrating Britain – ranging from the angel of the north to Zebra crossings.	Each letter had a mintage of 220,000	Yes
2015	£2 coin	£2 coin paying tribute to the Royal Navy and their role during the First World War	A mintage of 650,000	Yes
2015	£2 coin	£2 coin featuring Britannia for the first time on a circulating £2 coin	A mintage of 650,000	Yes
1985 dated [1]	50 pence	Features the first design to appear on a 50p coin, a figure of Britannia, seat beside a lion, with a shield.	A mintage of 682,103	No
2002	£2 coin	Four £2 coins celebrating each Home Nation for the Commonwealth Games	Mintage figures (Scotland: 771,750 / Wales: 588,500 / Northern Ireland 485,500 / England 650,500	Yes
2012	£2	£2 to celebrate the closing of the 2012 Olympics and handover to Rio de Janeiro.	A mintage of 845,000	Yes
2008 (1908)	£2	£2 coin marking the centenary of the Olympic Games	A mintage of 910,000	Yes
2008	£2	£2 coin marking the end of the Beijing 2008 Olympic and its handover to London for 2012	A mintage of 918,000	Yes
2011	£2 coin	£2 coin commemorating 400 years since the King James Bible was published.	A mintage of 975,000	Yes
2018	50 pence	A series of 50p coins celebrating Beatrix Potter’s classic tales	A mintage of 1,400,000 for Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny 50p	Yes
2011	50 pence	A series of 50p coins released in 2011 celebrating the London 2012 Olympics	Mintages (Tennis: 1,454,000 / Goalball: 1,615,500 / Football (offside rule): 1,125,500 / Judo: 1,161,500 / Triathlon: 1,163,500 / Wrestling: 1,129,500).	Yes
2010 - 2011	£1 (round pound)	A series of £1 coins featuring official badges of capital cities in the UK	Mintages of Edinburgh: 935,000, London: 2,635,000 and Cardiff: 1,615,000	No
2008	£1 (round pound)	A pound coin featuring the UK’s Royal Arms	A mintage of 3,910,000	No

 

The Royal Mint also produces a range of commemorative coins available for collectors, ranging from special edition 50p coins through to bespoke one of one masterwork pieces that require only the finest craftsmanship to produce.

The full mintage figures can be found on The Royal Mint’s website: https://www.royalmint.com/currency/uk-currency/mintages/

 

Notes to media

[1] Members of the public will not find the 1985 Britannia 50p or 1992 Single Marked 50p in circulation as these coins were removed following a requirement for a smaller version of the 50p.

[2] Members of the public will not find any round pound coins, including the 2008 Royal Arms £1 coin, Edinburgh round £1, London round £1 and Cardiff round £1, following the introduction of the new £1 coin in 2017.

 

ENDS

 

Media enquiries - The Royal Mint Press Office:

0845 600 5018/ press.office@royalmint.com 

or TheRoyalMint@mhpc.com / +4420 3128 8180

About The Royal Mint

With a history spanning more than 1,100 years, The Royal Mint is one of Britain’s oldest companies and the original maker of UK coins.  Today The Royal Mint is a premium British maker, providing carefully crafted coins and precious metal products for the UK and overseas.  Based in Llantrisant, South Wales it has three main focuses as a business: Currency, Consumer (collectable and rare, historic coins) and precious metals investment.

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Every coin tells a story, from a rare gold Sovereign to a Peter Rabbit™ 50p coin. The Royal Mint aims to inspire collectors young and old, and nurture a love of collecting through unique designs and popular themes. As the maker of UK coinage, we have unparalleled knowledge about coins, from the historic coins of our past, through to the collectable commemorative coins of today.  Sourcing and authenticating pre decimal coins is a natural fit for The Royal Mint as we struck each one.

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As a world authority on precious metals, The Royal Mint has traded and made products in gold and silver for centuries. Since launching its designated precious metals investment arm six years ago, The Royal Mint has grown rapidly to become the home of gold in the UK – increasing its market share and becoming the largest producer of bullion coins in Britain. As well as offering physical precious metal investment options in the form of bars and coins, The Royal Mint also offers a range of digital investment options including DigiGold, Little Treasures, designed for children, and Gold for Pensions

Celebrating with The Royal Mint:

For over a thousand years The Royal Mint has marked the moments that changed the world on coins - from coronations to conflict, from commemorations to celebrations. The designs are captured on commemorative coins, minted in a range of metals.  Commemorative coins do not always enter circulation but give collectors the chance to purchase coins to keep and cherish.  Recent themes have included David Bowie, Winnie the Pooh, Decimalisation and Team GB. Each commemorative coin is carefully struck up to three times in order to create a superbly detailed finish, and ensuring each one meets the standards The Royal Mint is famous for. 

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The Royal Mint opened its popular visitor centre, The Royal Mint Experience, at its home in Llantrisant, South Wales in 2016. Since opening the award-winning attraction has welcomed around 400,000 visitors through its doors and is the place to explore the 1,100-year history of coins.

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