Coin collecting is something which plenty of people spend much of their time doing. And, it seems that eBay has become a place where many head to in order to buy or sell coins. That includes a Benjamin Bunny 50p coin which is up for sale for a starting price of £500. The seller, who goes by the name of “glitzyfoxprints” on the website, has insisted that the coin is “rare” on the listing.
They’ve also said that they’ll cover the postage fee for UK-buyers, dispatching it via standard delivery.
So, what is known about this 2017 coin?
The uncirculated coin was released back in 2017, as the final coin in the Beatrix Potter collection.
Despite being a 50 pence piece, this coin is currently available to buy on the Royal Mint website for £10.
The reverse was designed by Emma Noble, and it depicts the Beatrix Potter character Benjamin Bunny.
The mintage, according to Change Checker, is 25,000,000.
The website has said that this coin is common, ranking it at one on the scarcity index.
Meanwhile, the publication Spend it? Save it? What should you do? has estimated the mintage of this coin at 11,300,000.
They’ve valued the coin at £4.
Of course, it’s down to the seller as to how much they’re prepared to pay.
What’s more, it could be worth doing your research, or even seeking some advice about whether to buy the coin, ahead of making the purchase – particularly when the price tag is in the hundreds.
The guide Spend it? Save it? What should you do? has issued a warning about buying coins online.
It explains that the starting price is totally dependent on what the seller wishes.
The guide also pointed out that coins listed for huge amounts of money can then make other items put up for sale at a lower mark seem more appealing.
The warning concludes: “So remember – just because a coin is listed at a certain price that doesn’t mean it is worth it and just because something seems to have sold for a certain amount that doesn’t mean it actually did.”
Another coin which has been spotted on eBay is the Beatrix Potter 150th anniversary 50p coin, which has been listed online for £2,750.
Which are the rarest £1, £2, 50p, 20p, 10p and 2p coins?
Rarest £2 coins
The rarest £2 coin is the 2002 Commonwealth Games NI coin with 485,500 in circulation. This is followed by the 2002 Commonwealth Games Wales which has 588,500 in circulation.
Next up is the 2015 Navy, and there are 650,000 in circulation.
Rarest £1 coins
The most rare £1 coins are all part of a series celebrating the British capitals.
The rarest of these is the 2011 Edinburgh coin, with 935,000 in circulation. Of the 2011 Cardiff coins there are 1,615,000 in circulation, while the 2010 London coin has 2,635,000 in circulation.
Rarest 50p coin
The rarest 50p coin is the Kew Gardens coin, which is also the rarest coin in circulation. It there were only 210,000 minted.
The football Olympic 50p coin has 1,125,500 in circulation, and the wrestling coin has 1,129,500 in circulation.
It is not so easy to evaluate the rarest 20p coins, 10p coins and even 2p coins as exact circulation figures are not known.
However, various versions of the coins are known to sell for large sums.
These include the dateless 20ps, which are actually part of a run from 2008. There may be between 50,000 and 200,000 of these coins in circulation.
The 1983 ‘New Pence’ 2p coin can also sell for a huge sum, up to £650.