Rare coin collector shows 50p piece 'worth fortune' – and it's not Kew Gardens

Have you checked your rare coin collection recently?

If the answer is a big fat no, then now's a great time to start scrambling through your stash. Certain designs could be worth double their value, while others might even see you pocket hundreds, or thousands – if you're really lucky.

Now over on TikTok, account @uk.coin.hunt, which boasts 473,300 followers, revealed the 50p pieces "worth a lot of money" and it could be hiding away in your collection without you even realising it.

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In a video, which scooped just over 700 likes, a voiceover can be heard explaining: "These Shield 50ps are worth a lot of money! So let's talk about why they're worth that kind of money.

"First of all, you've got the NIFC the years that include 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018 and 2021. And then you've got the rarest and lowest minted Shields in circulation which is 2017, but that's not really expensive.

"But NIFC means none of these went into circulation so they're pulled from BUNC sets, proof sets." NIFC 50p coins often refer to the change which were not intended for general circulation and are typically found in sets produced by The Royal Mint for collectors.

Examples include the Royal Shield 50p coins from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018, and 2021. Which in this case, the TikTok account owns, but certain ones are worth a lot more as they're a proof version.

The user added: "I've got 2011 Shields, the 2009 and 2010, so this one is a proof as you can see. And these are worth a lot of money as you can see, I've only ever found 2010 and 2018 in my change before so literally it looks like a normal 50p.

"People might spend it as they don't really look for dates and might not know about them. But these sell for £40-£80 each, depending on the condition but obviously the brand new ones will just go for a tiny bit less because of the quality of them."

Finding a rare coin can be quite exciting, but before anything else, you must do some research to identify the change and its potential value. After, you should consult a professional or reputable coin dealer for an appraisal.

Consider getting the coin graded by a reputable service to also authenticate its condition and value. Finally, decide whether to sell it at auction or add it to a collection.