1. More than most coins, the Jefferson nickel’s design has a knack for bringing out scuffs and scrapes. Since Jefferson’s bust dominates the obverse, practically every hit is in a focal area.
2. 5 valuable and rare coins to look out for in 2020 By Editorial team Today’s post is dedicated to all the collectors and those who aspire to become one, so read on to find out about some rare and valuable coins to be actively searching for.

Many times a key date coin also involves a mintmark. For example, a Washington quarter from 1932 would be a tremendous find in your change—worth a few dollars. But if there is a “D” or “S” mintmark. Barber Dimes are popular with many collectors but are considered more valuable when sold as a set representing several chronological years from the same mint. By contrast, Bust Dimes from different years, mint locations, and condition have highly variable monetary worth, individually or as a set. 15 Valuable old coins you should look out for 1) 1894-S Barber Dime: one of the most prized coins in America. It’s said that only 25 of this dime were minted but only 9 survived. In 2016, this coin was sold for 2 million dollars.

With the Royal Mint launching eight new 50p coins this year, and some coins fetching large sums on eBay, 2019 was a big year for checking your change.

Whether you’re starting a collection from scratch, or looking to add to your overflowing treasure chest, it’s important that you know what you’re looking for.

Here, we reveal the coins that proved the most valuable and rarest of 2019 and the change you should look out for next year.

Valuable Coins To Look Out For Uk

Which rare coins sold for the most in 2019?

We’ve used coin site Change Checker’s ‘scarcity index’ to find the most in-demand 10p, 50p, and £2 coins of the year, and checked out how much they have sold for on eBay.

Change Checker’s ‘scarcity index’ is based on mintage figures plus how many of each design is listed as ‘collected’ by members and the number of times a design has been requested as a swap. This is meant to give an indication of the current level of collector demand.

The prices we’ve found are an average of what each of the five circulating coins most recently sold for at auction on eBay.

Collectors tend to be more interested in buying scarcer coins, often paying more for them. There are a number of factors that affect a coin’s value, however, as we’ll explain later.

The rarest and most valuable 10p coins

The Great British Coin Hunt series of 10ps was launched in 2018, along with an accompanying app.

Though the initial buzz has died down, the coins still proved popular in 2019, with collectors doing what they could to secure coins in the alphabet-based series.

The zebra crossing coin is the only 10p to remain in the top five from 2018; the others are all new entries.

All of these coins are quite scarce, with only 220,000 of each of them entering circulation. That’s only 10,000 more than the infamously scarce Kew Gardens 50p, which can sell for upwards of £100.

There’s no guarantee that the A-Z 10ps will ever sell for that much, however, and at the moment they’re considered much less valuable.

The rarest and most valuable 50p coins

Though a number of new 50p coins have been launched this year, mintage figures for these coins are not yet available, so they aren’t on the scarcity index.

The big winner is the Kew Gardens 50p. It’s still the scarcest coin ever to be circulated and can now sell for more than £100.

Only 210,000 Kew Gardens 50p coins were minted. To put that into context, every single other circulating 50p has a mintage of more than one million.

The rarest and most valuable £2 coins

Most of the in-demand £2 coins in 2019 were related to the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

How rare are 2019’s new 50p coins?

Since mintage figures haven’t been released, there’s no way to know exactly how rare any of the new coins released this year actually are.

Still, we’ve covered the launch of several new 50p coins to tell you everything you need to know about them.

Read our rare coin coverage here:

It’s worth keeping in mind that not all of these coins entered circulation, meaning they won’t turn up in your change. Instead, you’ll have to buy them online from the Royal Mint or a licensed seller, such as the Westminster Collection.

However, commemorative coins that never entered circulation tend to be less collectable and there’s evidence that they can actually fall in value.

A silver proof Stephen Hawking 50p, for example, retailed at £55 on the Royal Mint website. Six months later, one of them sold for £54 on eBay.

Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny: nearly the rarest 50ps

In October this year, the Royal Mint released mintage figures for 2018 coins.

The big news was that the Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny coins each had just 1.4m mintages, making them the tied second-rarest 50ps in circulation.

The 2018 Mrs Tittlemouse coin is the third most-scarce in circulation, with just 1.7m minted.

What makes a coin valuable?

There’s no guarantee any coin will ever sell at more than its monetary value. However, collectors might be willing to buy it for a number of different reasons.

1) It’s rare

Coins with lower mintages are harder to come by, meaning collectors are more likely to resort to paying for them.

The Kew Gardens 50p sells for so much because there is almost no chance of finding it in your change today. If you want one for your collection, purchasing one is the most effective way to get it.

2) It has an error

Coins with errors on them are extremely rare and hard to find, so they tend to fetch higher prices than their ‘perfect’ counterparts.

A 20p coin released into circulation without a date (it was actually minted in 2008) has proven very popular with collectors.

3) It’s part of a collection

Valuable Us Coins To Look Out For

Serious coin collectors are dedicated to completing collections. That’s partly why the A-Z 10ps and the Olympic 50ps can be valuable. If a collector has 25 out of 26 A-Z coins, they might pay a little more for the last one just for the sake of completion.

4) It’s in good condition

Even if your coin meets all of these other criteria, collectors are unlikely to shell out for it if it’s scratched or in generally poor condition.

Should you invest in rare coins?

Even though the coins we’ve mentioned above have increased in value over time, there is absolutely no guarantee that this will happen with any coin.

In fact, looking at coin sales on eBay isn’t necessarily a great way to determine value, as sellers could seek to inflate prices by creating fake listings or placing their own bids.

A series of experts warned against buying coins purely to make money on an episode of The Which? Money Podcast. They encouraged listeners to buy coins because they’re interested in them, not because they see them as an investment.

Listen to the episode below to hear how dangerous investing in rare coins could really be.

• Find out more: 50 years of 50ps – how much are they really worth?

Finding Rare Nickels - What to Look For

There are not a lot of rare nickels and they are fairly inexpensive, which makes them a great coin series for the beginner or those with a modest budget to collect.

You can put together a nice collection without spending a lot of money. In fact, a lot of the Jefferson Nickel series can still be found in circulation.

Who knows, you might even happen across a very unique rare nickel just like Mr. Ken Frith did.

In 1961, knowing that Mr. Frith specialized in error coins, a very unique 1942-S Jefferson Nickel was brought to his attention.

After carefully examining the coin to make sure it was not a fabrication, Mr. Frith purchased the coin.

(click image for larger view)
1942 Jefferson Nickel
with the Reverse of a 1941-S
_______________________________

This unique, one of a kind nickel has the obverse (front) of a 1942 Jefferson Nickel muledMule
This is a coin that was struck from two dies not intended to be used together. For example, it would have the front (obverse) of one denomination or coin type and the back (reverse) of another. These are very rare. with a 1941-S reverse.

Click Here to read more about Mr. Frith's exciting discovery.

Find out how he knew that someone at the mint had made a huge error.

You will also see the documentation sent to me by Mr. Frith which details all the steps that he took to verify that this was truly an authentic mint strike coin.

See actual copies of letters, a newspaper article in the New York Times, and a copy of the page from the auction catalog where the coin was described for auction.

Then, get out your nickels and start searching for your own keydates and error coins!!

Below you will find the keydates for each type of nickel along with information about error coins that you should keep an eye out for.

Shield Nickel - Rare Nickels and Errors to Watch For

Shield Nickels are going to be the most expensive of all the nickel types if you choose to collect them. Very worn coins will cost you around $20 each.

• Key Dates: 1877 (proof only), 1878 (proof only), 1879, 1880, 1881
• Overdate: 1879/8, 1883/2
• Repunched Date: 1866

Liberty Head Nickel - Rare Nickels and Errors to Watch For

A collection of Liberty Head Nickels is quite possible on a modest budget with the exception of the keydates listed below.

• Key Dates: 1885, 1886, 1912-S
• 1913 - Only 5 are known to exist!!

Indian Head or Buffalo Nickel - Rare Nickels and Errors to Watch For

Most Indian Head Nickels are also moderately priced and within reach of the average collector. With only one keydate and a couple of semi-keydates, a collection of Buffalo Nickels could be put together on a fairly small budget.

• Key Dates: 1913-S Variety 2
• Overdate: 1914/3, 1918/7-D
• Double Dies: 1916 (obv), 1935 (rev)
• Overmintmarks:1942-D over Horiaontal D
• 1936-D Three and 1/2 legs on Buffalo
• 1937-D Three-legged Buffalo

Valuable Coins To Look Out For

Jefferson Nickel - Rare Nickels and Errors to Watch For

The Jefferson Nickel series doesn't have any major rarities. This is one reason it's such a good series for a beginner to collect (or anyone on a modest budget).

Coin Dates To Look For

• Key Dates: 1938-D, 1938-S, 1939-D, 1939-S and the 1950-D
• Overmintmarks: 1949-D/S, 1954-S/D, 1955-D/S
• Overdate: 1943/2-P
• Double Dies: 1939 (doubled MONTICELLO, FIVE CENTS), 1943-P (doubled eye), 1945 (rev) and 2004
• Full Step Nickels: Jefferson nickels that have 'full steps' on the reverse sell for a premium.
• 1942-S with the reverse of the 1941: the rarest Jefferson Nickel. Only one is known to exist. Wouldn't it be cool to find one of those in your pocket change!
  Click here to read more about this exciting discovery.

For some great deals on Coins and Coin Supplies visit my friends at Jake's Marketplace, Inc. They have a very comprehensive selection to choose from and give great discounts!

Learn more about Shield Nickels

Learn more about Liberty Head Nickels

Learn more about Indian Head or Buffalo Nickels

What Coins To Look For

Return from Rare Nickels to Jefferson Nickels.

Learn more about the one of a kind 1942 Rare Nickel described above.

Learn where the mint mark is located on Nickels and other US Coins.