The UK's top collecting stories of 2016

2016 has certainly been an eventful year for British coins and banknotes, with several stories hitting the headlines. As the year draws to a close, here is a look back at our favourites.

New Polymer £5 note creates a collecting frenzy

On September 13th the Bank of England introduced its first ever plastic banknote - the first in a complete overhaul of the existing paper notes to improve their durability.

The early issues with low serial numbers immediately sent the public into a collecting frenzy and it was not long before some notes were changing hands online for thousands of pounds. 

Beatrix Potter starts a collecting revolution 

The introduction of four much-loved Beatrix Potter characters to 50p coins caused a great deal of excitement across the UK when they first entered circulation during the summer. In fact the full set of five Beatrix Potter coins are now among the most sought-after 50p coins, perhaps surpassed only by the Olympic 50ps issued for London 2012. 

'Silver' 2p is actually extremely rare minting error

In June it was revealed that a silver coloured 2p coin thought to be a fake was nearly thrown away after it was discovered in a charity collection tin. But after volunteers in Wiltshire took it to a bank, it was sent to the Royal Mint which confirmed it as an extremely sought-after minting error. The charity subsequently sold the coin for £1,350 - that's 67,500 times its face value. 

Britain says farewell to its 'round pound' 

Earlier in the year, The Royal Mint confirmed that the current round £1 coin first introduced more than 30 years ago will be replaced with a brand new 12-sided version from 2017. That has led to this year's 'last round pound' becoming something of a collector's item, particularly as the coin will never be released into general circulation. 

If you're interested...

You can now own a piece of numismatic history by securing Britain's Last Round Pound for just £10 (+p&p).

Your coin has been placed in a tamper-proof numismatic capsule and certified as an original Royal Mint Brilliant Uncirculated issue to ensure its long-term collector status. 

Click here for more details