Rare 50 cent coin worth up to 80 times its face value lurking in Aussies' spare change

Coin experts are raising awareness about an ordinary-looking coin that could be lurking in Aussies' spare change. The coins can be worth up to 80 times their face value for one simple reason.

Coin collectors are urging Aussies to check their spare change for an ordinary-looking coin that could be worth up to 80 times its face value.

The coins in question are 50 cent pieces that were produced in 1985. Only a relatively small number of the coins were minted, making them a rare find.

“They only made one million of these coins in 1985 and it has a recent selling price of $15 to $40 each,” Victorian coin collector Michael McCauley explained on TikTok.

The coins featured a new effigy of the late Queen Elizabeth II, designed by Raphael Maklouf, which was the second portrait of the Queen to be featured on Aussie 50 cent coins.

Coin expert Joel Kandiah, who goes by The History of Money online, said the coin was Australia’s “joint rarest 50 cent coin” due to its low mintage of one million.

“This makes up a very small percentage of 50 cent coins minted overall,” Kandiah said.

The South Australian expert said the coins were “extremely hard to find” as a result and put their value between $10 to $30.

Another rare 50 cent coin

The 1993 50 cent coin is another coin to keep an eye out for as it shares the title for the joint rarest 50 cent coin with the 1985 year.

“Another really good year is the 1993 50 cent coin with the same mintage figure of only 1 million as well,” McCauley said.

The 1993 50 cent coins have recently sold for between $3.50 and $15. They feature the same effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse.

“I tend to find the 1985’s harder to find. I think that’s because they are a bit older and probably more have been taken out of circulation for collection and things like that,” McCauley said.

“But also some of them might have been lost along the way or damaged. When coins get damaged they usually get sent back to the Mint for destruction.”

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