Look out for 50p in your change worth £200 - but 'only if it has one thing'

An expert has urged Brits to look out for a unique 50p coin worth up to £200. However, this piece is only particularly valuable if it has “one thing”.

The coin in question was minted to commemorate the 2012 London Olympics. It features a high-jumping athlete, a design conceived by a child during a Blue Peter competition.

But it is important to note that it only holds substantial value if it is dated 2009. The same coin from 2011 is far more prevalent and therefore not as valuable.

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In a video shared to social media platform TikTok, an expert known as the Coin Collecting Wizard explained more. He said: “This 50p is worth £200, but only if it has this one thing.”

He continued: “The athletics 50p is a popular coin among collectors, but there's an especially rare version from 2009 that can be worth up to £200 due to its unusual origin.

Before the official release of the 2011 Olympic 50p series, the Royal Mint held a Blue Peter competition inviting children to design a coin for the upcoming London 2012 games.”

He explained that the winning design was struck in 2009 in a “very limited quantity”. “Just around 20,000 were issued and given away in special presentation packs to competition entrants and winners,” the expert said.

“This makes the 2009 Blue Peter athletics 50p far scarcer than the standard 2011 version you might find in your change.” This has made it one of the “most valuable” of all modern UK coins.

He added: “Because of this low mintage and its connection to the competition, it's become one of the most valuable modern 50p coins, often selling for £150 to £200 in good condition.”

On its website, the Britannia Coin Company shared more about the coin. It said: "The designs for this collection were selected from 30,000 designs submitted by the public as part of a competition – the design for the athletics coin is slightly different however, as it was chosen as part of a Blue Peter competition.

"The 2011 Athletics 50p, also referred to as the 'High Jump 50p', emerged triumphant among 17,000 submissions from youthful participants in the Blue Peter contest. Florence Jackson, a nine year old, clinched the win, becoming the youngest individual to contribute a design to a UK coin issued by The Royal Mint.

"Jackson's winning artwork, depicting an athlete soaring over a high jump bar, complete with the emblem of the 2012 Summer Olympics and '50 PENCE' marking the bottom, adorns the reverse of the 2011 Athletics 50p."