The Sherlock Holmes 50p celebrates the 160th birthday of the author. Found one in your change? Here’s how rare the coin is and how much it’s worth.
If you are looking for help solving the mysterious case of the valuable 50p coin, you have come to the right place.
While many people only see the value of coins as, well, 50p, the more curious know there’s more to the story.
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In some cases, rare and commemorative coins can be worth far more than their face value. If you’re one of the lucky few, you might find one of these treasures in your change after you’ve been shopping.
Some of these rare coins are more valuable than others, depending on the number in circulation today. Sherlock Holmes 50p coins aren’t the most sought-after, but they are part of many collectors’ selections.
Keep reading to uncover the story behind this coin and why it could be a worthy addition to your collection.
How many Sherlock Holmes 50p were minted?
8,602,000 Sherlock Holmes 50p coins were put into circulation.
This means you could find these ones quite easily in your change, but as people collect them, it’s still not an everyday find.
It is not one of the rarer 50p coins out there.
Other variations, which you’d need to buy directly from the Royal Mint, include:
- Gold Proof – Proof refers to the finest quality commemorative coins produced.
- Silver Proof
- Silver Proof Piedfort – Piedfort coins look like normal coins but are thicker.
- Brilliant Uncirculated – Of a higher standard than circulating coins.
Estimated worth of the 2019 Sherlock Holmes 50p
If you have a circulated 2019 Sherlock Holmes 50p coin, it will likely sell for around £1.75 to £2.50 if it’s in good condition.
You may see some coins telling for crazy amounts, like this coin listed for £2,000!
They may say it’s “ultra rate,” but we know that the circulation of the coins is high, so they don’t come with a price tag so high.
You can toggle the results on eBay to show completed listings and sold listings.
From completed listings, you can see that the coins will NOT sell for anything over £5.
When you look at sold listings, you get a better idea of what people are willing to pay.
Future predictions
Over time, these coins will get rarer as more people collect them, and there will be less floating around. Even today, it’s not easy to come by one. In the future, we predict these coins will be worth even more.
Uncirculated coins
When it comes to the uncirculated coins, the silver proof sells for £55, and the gold proof coins sell for £980, but are no longer available directly from the mint.
The value of a Brilliant Uncirculated 2019 Sherlock Holmes 50p coin is £4.50. As with all other coins, a coin in mint condition is worth far more than one that has been in circulation for a while.
History of the Sherlock Holmes 50p
The commemorative Sherlock Holmes 50p coin was released in 2019 to celebrate the 160th birthday of the fictional detective’s creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories have been popular since publication and remain so to this day.
The fictional character’s popularity was fuelled by the popular TV series featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes, and ran it on the BBC for four seasons from 2010. A series of films starring Robert Downey Jr. as the main character was released around the same time.
Now, on to the coin. The Stephen Raw design features a profile of Sherlock Holmes with his trusty pipe and a deerstalker hat. A list of classic book titles completes the image.
The reverse features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark, the Royal Mint engraver.
Unfortunately, this coin isn’t as valuable as those with a low mintage. This is because it had a large circulating mintage of over 8.5 million.
This will come as a disappointment for people hoping to earn a fortune combing through their spare change, but it’s great news for fans wanting to get their hands on a Sherlock Holmes coin.
Even though it is not the most sought-after 50p coin available, it would be wise to keep mint condition coins like this well-protected.
Values can rise over time for a specific coin type, even if it isn’t a rare coin.
Coin specifications
Year
2019
Designer
Stephen Raw
Size
27.5mm in diameter
Weight
8g
Material
Cupronickel
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