Battle of Hastings 50p coin sells for massive £63K on eBay

Check your pockets!

Author: Alex RossPublished 30th Jun 2020
Last updated 30th Jun 2020

It's time to check your pockets, look under your car seats and lift the cushions off your sofas, because a rare Battle of Hastings 50p coin has been sold on eBay for a massive £63,100!

Yes, you read that correctly! The rare coin, which was first released back in 2016 to celebrate 950 years since one of the most infamous battles in British history, found itself in a price war among avid collectors, with it eventually selling for more than 126,000 its face value.

Unbelievably, unlike some other special 50p coins, the Battle of Hastings one isn't actually that rare, with 6.7 million of them in circulation, so it's no surprise people were astounded by the extortionate sale.

Alexandra Siddons, a ChangeChecker expert, told the Mirror, "Values for coins tend to vary every now and then and it could be that demand for 50ps has gone up because we're seeing less change used right now because of coronavirus.

"The ones with historical anniversaries tend to do better amongst collectors - and this one sparked a clear pricing war.

"That said, there are other Battle of Hastings 50p coins on eBay selling for £2, so do your research."

Now take a look at other special coins and money:

UK Crowned Shield £1 coin

Although they are fairly common, they can currently fetch around £3 - £5.50. They are one of the oldest £1 coins around having been minted in 1988, just five years after the £1 coin was introduced.

Edinburgh City £1 coin

This was released in 2011 and is thought to be worth £12 - £16.

Scotland's Thistle and Bluebell £1 coin

Even with a mintage of 5.1 million it is worth £3 - £5 to collectors.

Cardiff City £1 coin

This coin features the Coat of Arms of Cardiff as the principal focus to represent Wales. It is thought to be worth £11 - £15.

London City £1 coin

Although more common than the Scottish and Welsh versions it is still worth £5 - £8.

EC and Kew Gardens

Dating back to 1992/3 this larger 50p coin (left) was issued to celebrate the British presidency of the council of Europe. No longer in circulation could be worth around £40.
The Kew Gardens design was minted to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the foundation of the Royal Botanic Gardens. Only 210,000 coins were made and is now expected to sell on eBay for £70 - £100.

2011 WWF and 2012 The Offside Explained

2011 WWF design of the 50p (left) can often sell for around £200 to collectors.
The Offside Explained 50p apparently regularly changes hands for around £10.

2012 Olympics - Swimmer

Early versions of the coin show the swimmer with the water covering their head, however later versions have the lines of water removed.
According to eBay only 600 of the early version are in circulation, fetching up to £3000 when they were first placed on eBay.

New fiver (£5)

The new £5 note was released into circulation on the 13th September 2016. Notes with serial numbers starting with AA or AK 47 sold for much more than than their face value.

New tenner (£10)

The new £10 note, featuring Jane Austen was released on 14th September 2017.
As before many with the serial number AA or AK 47 were highly sought after as well as those with serial numbers relating to Jane Austen's birthday, date of death, or date the Pride and Prejudice was first published.

Peter Rabbit 50p

The Peter Rabbit collectable coin is available to buy from the Royal Mint.

Benjamin Bunny 50p

Benjamin Bunny was released earlier this year (2017).

Tom Kitten 50p

Tom Kitten was released earlier this year (2017).

Jeremy Fisher 50p

Jeremy Fisher was released earlier this year (2017).

Earlier this year the Royal Mint teamed up with the National History Museum to release a set of coins celebrating dinosaurs discovered in modern-day Britain.

The dinosaur design is just the latest 50p design, following on from many fun designs including Wallace & Gromit, Peter Pan, Gruffalo, Professor Stephen Hawking, Peter Rabbit, Sherlock Holmes, and two Paddington Bears designs.

Don't forget to check your pockets!

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