That loose change in your pocket could be worth far more than its face value.
Before you spend that spare change, it may be worth taking a closer look as a rare coin could fetch far more than its stated value.
From scarce designs to coins with royal commemorations, these are some of the rarest coins in the UK that you could sell to a collector.
The 2002 Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games £2 Coin
Mintage: 485,500
Released to commemorate the 2002 Commonwealth Games, this £2 coin shows the Ulster Banner beside a triumphant figure created by designer Matthew Bonaccorsi.
It was one of four coins issued to celebrate the home nations’ teams and is now the rarest bi-metallic £2 coin in circulation.
The 2011 Edinburgh City £1 Coin
Mintage: 935,500
Designed by Stuart Devlin, the coin displays Edinburgh’s Coat of Arms and formed part of a series honouring the UK’s capital cities.
While round £1 coins are no longer legal tender, the Edinburgh design became sought-after during its circulation due to its low mintage and remains popular with collectors.
The 2023 Atlantic Salmon 50p Coin
Mintage: 200,000
The Atlantic salmon 50p, included in King Charles III’s first coin set, has the lowest mintage of any 50p in circulation.
Its design highlights the sharp decline in the UK’s wild Atlantic salmon population, linked to pressures including pollution, habitat loss, climate change and overfishing.
Just 200,000 were minted, overtaking the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p - which had a mintage of 210,000 - as the rarest 50p.
The 2019 Great British Coin Hunt W, Y and Z 10p Coins
Mintage: 63,000
Just 63,000 were made of each of these coins, making them rarest 10ps to date.
Part of the Great British Coin Hunt series, each letter of the alphabet was captured across 26 different 10p coins.
The letter W represents the World Wide Web, Y features a Yeoman Warder and Z depicts a zebra crossing.
The 2025 Oak Tree Leaf 5p
Mintage: 19,000,000
The oak leaf 5p is part of King Charles III’s Definitive collection, a series inspired by the flora and fauna of the British Isles and reflecting the monarch’s long-standing interest in conservation.
The reverse features an oak leaf, chosen to represent the tree’s importance as a habitat for wildlife in Britain’s woodlands.
Oaks support more species than any other native UK tree and have a historic connection to monarchy, with oak-leaf crowns worn by rulers in ancient Britain and the Roman Empire.
Some 23.2 million of the coins entered circulation in 2025, although they were dated and minted in October 2023.
The 2008 Christopher Ironside 2p Coin
Mintage: 10,600,000
Designed by Christopher Ironside, this 2p features the Prince of Wales’s feathers and is the lowest-mintage coin of its denomination, with 10.6 million produced.
That same year, the reverse was replaced by a segment of Matthew Dent’s Royal Shield design.
More than 241.6 million of the newer version were struck, making the Ironside design far scarcer.
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