The two 'rarest' 50p coins worth almost £200 - expert reveals how to spot

Combined these pieces could be worth almost £200 to collectors - far more than their face value.

A coin expert has highlighted two of the UK's "rarest" 50p coins that could fetch a tidy sum for collectors – potentially up to £200.

The specialist, who goes by the name the Coin Collecting Wizard on the popular social media platform TikTok, shared insights into these elusive pieces.

He first pointed out a 50p piece from the 1990s that should be on every collector's radar. This particular coin, known as the EEC dual date coin, boasts a design featuring a conference table surrounded by 12 chairs and stars symbolising the member states of the European Economic Community (EEC).

What sets this coin apart is its display of two years – 1992 and 1993. The Royal Mint only produced 109,000 of these coins, making it the "rarest" 50p to have been released into general circulation.

In his TikTok video, the Coin Collecting Wizard drew comparisons between this coin and another one often deemed the rarest 50p in Britain – the Kew Gardens coin. He elaborated: "This 50p is rarer than the Kew Gardens, but what coin is this, you ask?

"It is the dual date EEC 50 pence from 1992. With a mintage of just 109,000 - around half of the Kew Gardens 50p - the EC presidency is the rarest UK 50p coin to enter circulation."

Despite no longer being in active circulation, these coins might still turn up unexpectedly. If they do, they could command a price of around £40 each.

The coin enthusiast elaborated: "This is the larger old style 50p that are no longer in circulation now, but even though this is no longer circulated, it can still fetch around £40 pounds in circulated condition." Combined with the sought-after Kew Gardens coin, collectors could pocket nearly £200.

The Kew Gardens 50p from 2009, which features the iconic Chinese Pagoda with an intricate leafy design, remains a valuable find. The expert pointed out, "Then we have the Kew Gardens 50p.

"This coin is still in UK circulation and has a mintage of around 210,000. Due to it still being in our change, it has a price tag of around £150 in circulated condition.

"So always keep an eye out for the Kew Gardens 50p in your change, you never know when you might come across one." According to the Royal Mint's website, this particular coin incites high levels of enthusiasm among collectors.

It states: "Over the years, the coin has been issued in a huge range of commemorative editions celebrating every aspect of British culture, from athletes to authors. The sheer variety has sparked a collecting craze but of all the 50p coins, the Kew Gardens 50p is arguably the most sought-after. Nothing gets people excited quite like this original 2009 design."

Meanwhile, on the current eBay market, collectors have seen EEC 50p coins listed at £99.95 and £90.15, while a Kew Gardens coin has a going rate of £164.95.