A COIN collector made themselves a tidy profit when they sold this rare 50p coin on eBay for 24 times its face value.

The seller from Evesham, in Worcestershire, managed to sell the Olympic triathlon 50p coin for £12.

The buyer even had to fork out an extra £1.55 for postage. 

The Royal Mint released the coin in 2011 as part of a 29-coin set to celebrate the London Olympics. 

The coin in question illustrates the triathlon with £1,163,500 being released into circulation, the fourth lowest mintage in the set. 

With the likely number of Olympic 50p coins still in circulation dwindling and most having been scooped up by collectors, they continue to sell at prices well above their face value.

The rarest 50p coin designs in circulation

The rarest 50p designs in circulation, with their mintage figures, are:

  • 2009 Kew Gardens: 210,000
  • 2011 Olympic wrestling: 1,129,500
  • 2011 Olympic football: 1,161,500
  • 2011 Olympic judo: 1,161,500
  • 2011 Olympic triathlon: 1,163,500
  • 2018 Peter Rabbit: 1,400,000
  • 2018 Flopsy Bunny: 1,400,000
  • 2011 Olympic tennis: 1,454,000
  • 2011 Olympic goalball: 1,615,500
  • 2011 Olympic shooting: 1,656,500