People trying to make a quick bit of money have been spotted selling rare and collectable coins online in the North East.

The coins that people are trying to shift include the newly minted King Charles III 50p, as well as Beatrix Potter coins and musical collector coins.

Despite the new King Charles 50p coming into circulation a few months ago, Facebook Marketplace and Ebay have been filled with sellers trying to get on the fad quickly.

Searching Facebook Marketplace, sellers in Darlington, Durham and Middlesbrough are shifting 50p coins for £20, £40 and £50 respectively - trying to make the mark-up on the item, but others have been spotted on Ebay, with bids reaching £10,000.

Five million of the coins, celebrating Charles’s coronation earlier this year, were received by the Post Office and UK bank branches on Thursday.

Featuring a design by Royal Mint coin designer Natasha Jenkins, the coins are the second 50ps to enter circulation bearing Charles’s official coin portrait.

The first was the memorial 50 Pences, which entered circulation in December 2022, marking the transition from the late Queen to the King.

The reverse (tails) design of the new 50p, created by Ms Jenkins, features Westminster Abbey.

At the centre of the design is the King’s official cypher, representing him at Westminster Abbey being crowned King.

The obverse (heads) of the 50p features the King’s official coin portrait which was unveiled in September 2022 and is designed by sculptor Martin Jennings, as well as being personally approved by the King.

All 50p coins entering circulation will feature the King’s uncrowned portrait, the Mint said, differing from the commemorative coronation coins that were unveiled earlier this year.

Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, said: “We are delighted to announce that five million 50p coins produced to mark His Majesty King Charles III’s coronation will enter circulation from today.

“This is a special moment for the nation, as members of the public will have the opportunity to find a piece of history in their change. We anticipate the coronation 50p coins will be highly sought after among coin collectors and members of the public keen to own a piece of British history.

“The Royal Mint has had the honour of striking coins for every British monarch since Alfred the Great and we are proud to continue that long history with the introduction of His Majesty’s official coinage.”

While the 50p's that have just come out might be changing hands for £40 and £50, there are some new coins out there that could fetch £10,000. 

Experts at changechecker.org, who track which circulating coins are the most scarce and collectable, say that as a general rule, the rarer the coin, the more value it holds.

According to changechecker.org, the most sought-after version of the new 50p coin is the Kew Gardens design, and if you are lucky enough to have one, it could fetch up to £10,000 on eBay. 

The Kew Gardens design has a mintage of just 210,000 and is the most requested swap. 

According to the scarcity index, the next seven rarest coins are from the 2012 Olympics and represent different sports at the event including judo, triathlon and football. 

Second on the list is the Judo 2012 Olympics coin, with scores a scarcity index of 90.  

Next is the Flopsy Bunny 50p, which is listed on eBay for just under £1,000.