Hello fletch and welcome to the Forum. A quick search of completed listings on ebay produced the following, 1988 £1 sell for a £2 - £7.50 depending on its condition. Realistically I would say double its Face value. 2012 Circulated Olympic Set £24-£37 1987 Falklands £1 although low mintage will have little value due to the demand for this coin, may be corrected on that Kew Gardens 50p...... this one shocked me! From circulation it seems to sell for around £40 give or take a few pounds. Sorry but I could not be bothered to look up all the other 50p's As for your question about a casual collection of older coins it all depends on your budget. Most people start of with the Bronze coins with the most popular being the Penny followed by the Farthing and then the Halfpenny. Before you start you will need info. A good buy is Collectors Coins 2014 which is easily available on the Net. Will not cost you a fortune. If you can get hold of an older version it will also include Decimals!