The rarest 50p coin design has been crowned - and there's one tiny detail missing on the most sought-after version

Coin collectors are still on the hunt for the rarest 50p coin in the UK, which went into circulation last year.

The Atlantic Salmon 50p, which features an Atlantic Salmon design on one side and King Charles' portrait on the other, made headlines in October when it finally knocked the famous 2009 Kew Gardens 50p off the top spot to become the rarest coin in circulation for the first time in 15 years.

But despite this, the experts at Change Checker have revealed that there’s one tiny detail missing on the most sought-after version of the coin.

“Since the news, collectors have been rushing to find one in their change, but there has been some confusion over which version of the Salmon 50p is actually rare,” the experts explained.

(Image: Change Checker)

They continued: “As we reported last month, the Salmon 50p was first seen in the first official coinage set released to mark the reign of King Charles in October 2023.

“As well as brand new designs on both sides, these coins also featured a special ‘Privy Mark’ on the obverse – a small crown next to the King’s portrait on the obverse. It’s not yet been announced how many Salmon 50ps in New UK Coinage sets were issued for collectors, but it’s not the Brilliant Uncirculated Salmon 50p with the privy mark you should be looking out for.

“Instead, it’s the standard circulation 2023 dated 50p without the privy mark in uncirculated condition that went into postal and bank circulation in November 2023. Around 500,000 of the 50p coins featuring the Atlantic Salmon design went into circulation in 2023, and they are being distributed by post offices and banks in the usual manner.”

It was later announced that just 200,000 of the 50ps dated 2023 had entered circulation - less than half of the amount that was originally estimated.

“That means just one in 335 people in the UK could have the chance of snagging one!” the experts added.

The latest update on the expert's eBay Tracker, which monitors how much coins are selling for on the secondary market, showed that the circulating 2023 Atlantic Salmon 50ps were racking up more than a staggering £83.

(Image: Change Checker)

The experts noted: “It's worth remembering that it's the circulation 2023 Salmon 50p without the privy mark that is the rarest UK 50p due to its low mintage figure, and it's this version which will fetch you a pretty penny on the secondary market.”