Real coins are where the real value is: 50p pieces worth £90 at Kew collection
Actual coins, made of metal and as analog as can be, are fetching record values at auction. Digital age? Yes – but not in every aspect!
There is so much noise, most of which is absolutely senseless, about virtual currencies these days, which in today’s enlightened times is surprising given the woeful track record of many of its proponents and operators.
Real currency, issued by central banks, will always be the champion of financial markets, however modernity and the analytical, truly global nature of today’s sophisticated trading platforms has distanced us from the physical attributes of fiat currency asset classes.
The cashless society is well and truly on its way, with Sweden leading the way as most people in the Scandinavian nation now carry absolutely no cash whatsoever and use electronic payment apps and terminals for all daily life-related transactions. Many more will follow, and our ultra-innovative electronic trading industry continues to forge ahead with increasingly advanced means of trading currencies without having to even see them.
The old metal and paper must not be truly discounted in its analog form, however.
Collectors of rare coins are making sound investments, and figures today have been released showing the most valuable coins over the past year in Britain.
2018, despite the drive toward automated payments, new non-bank financial platforms for retail customers and very well respected FX & CFD trading firms being the new and ever increasing backbone of Britain’s retail financial services sector, was a bumper year for coin collectors and values rocketed.
Consumer organization Which? today stated that the most valuable 50p currently in circulation is the 2009 Kew Gardens coin, worth £90, with only 210,000 having been released by the Royal Mint.
Meanwhile, a rare gold Kew Gardens 50p, not released into circulation, fetched £2,000 at the Royal Mint’s first historic coin auction in 2018. A silver version sold for 800 times its face value at £400, and the rarest £2 coin of 2018 is from the Commonwealth Games series.
The most popular 10p pieces were part of The Great British Coin Hunt series. In March last year, 2.6 million were released and a further 2.6 million were added to the collection in October.
Given the turbulent and false valuations of many virtual currencies, there is a clear and important message here in that actual currencies in their cash form are appreciating assets regardless of any conditions and are the darling of genuine collectors, enthusiasts and investors, hence a solid (literally!) investment.
