Royal Mint releases three new 50p coins with dinosaurs on them - and they could be worth hundreds

14 February 2020, 12:23

The special 50p coins feature the Megalosaurus, the Iguanodon and the Hylaeosaurus.

Coin collectors rejoice, because the Royal Mint is releasing three new 50ps.

We’ve already had Peter Rabbit and Paddington Bear, but these coins will feature dinosaurs for the first time.

Created by palaeontologists at the Natural History Museum, the images include the Megalosaurus, the Iguanodon and the Hylaeosaurus.

They were specially designed with the intention of showing exactly what the creatures would have looked like 66 million years ago.

The Megalosaurus coin is currently on sale at the Royal Mint website from today, while the other two coins are launching in March and April.

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They’ll set you back £10 for a plain coin which will be available in an unlimited quantity.

50,000 of the coloured version will also be released at £20 each, which will be the first coins ever minted to incorporate augmented reality technology.

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Those lucky enough to get their hands on one will be able to download the free Royal Mint Activate app where they can scan the coin and see facts and diagrams about the creature.

Collectors can also get a silver proof coin for £60, or the coloured version for £65.

If you’re willing to go all out, you can get your hands on a gold coin for a hefty £945.

Colin Bellamy of Coin Hunter told The Sun: "This [the coloured coin] is the coin that could well increase in value, especially as it is the first coin in a set of three."

Rachel Hooper of Changechecker also told the publication the demand for these special coins will be very high.

She said: "Looking back at the popularity of previous 50p series such as the 2012 Olympic 50ps and the Beatrix Potter coins from 2016, 2017 and 2018, we would expect demand for these new coins to be high as collectors look to add all three to their collection."

Two years ago, a 50p coin from the Peter Rabbit collection sold on eBay for a whopping £840, so these could be set to dramatically increase in value.