Yahoo Finance Royal Mint releases final 'dinosaur' 50p coin – which costs up to £1,020
The Royal Mint has released the last of its three-part dinosaur 50p series featuring images of dinosaurs, with the most valuable available to buy for more than £1,000.
The latest coin features a Hylaeosaurus, an armoured dinosaur with spines on its shoulders, which lived around 136 million years ago. Megalosaurus and Iguanodon versions were released earlier this year.
The standard edition costs £10 and a colour version costs £20. A silver edition costs £60 with 3,000 minted while a coloured silver edition costs £65 with 7,000 minted.
The most expensive is the gold coin, which costs £1,020 with only 350 minted.
The coins are "uncirculated", which means that they are not intended for general circulation due to their limited number, but are still legal tender. .
In contrast, three million Brexit 50ps entered circulation in January with seven million more to be minted before the end of 2020 to mark Britain's exit from the European Union.
Designed in conjunction with the Natural History Museum, the coins are the first to use augmented reality technology.
Upon receiving their coin, collectors can download The Royal Mint’s Activate app and scan the packaging to unearth extra content including facts, animated clips and imagery.
The Royal Mint issues special coins to mark important national events. The rarest 50p coin in circulation is one depicting the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, which can sell for up to £300 on eBay. There are just 210,000 in circulation.
Buying the limited edition dinosaur coins will not pay off as an investment – at least not yet. Consumer group Which? said the latest collectable coins will not be worth more than their retail price because they are still available to buy from the Royal Mint.
However, it added that coins with lower mintages are harder to come by and may become valuable in the future.
The Kew Gardens 50p sells for so much because there is almost no chance of finding it in your change today, according to Which?
“If you want one for your collection, purchasing one is the most effective way to get it,” it said
Maxine Lister, of the Natural History Museum, said: “The Museum is thrilled to see the release of the third and final coin in the Dinosauria Collection. The collection features each creature that led anatomist and founder of the Natural History Museum, Sir Richard Owen, to his ground-breaking conclusion, including Megalosaurus, Iguanodon and finally Hylaeosaurus.”
