New Cluedo 50p: Will this coin be worth a fortune? DAN HATFIELD reveals what collectors need to know

The coin had vanished. Miss Scarlett was in the library. And suddenly, everyone was a suspect.

No, this wasn't the opening scene of a new murder mystery. It was the launch of The Royal Mint's brand new Cluedo 50p, and I found myself at The Chesterfield Hotel in Mayfair surrounded by some of the most suspicious-looking characters I've encountered in a very long time.

I've covered plenty of The Royal Mint's latest offerings over the years, but I have to admit, this one was particularly nostalgic.

Usually, when someone asks me to examine a piece of metal, I'm hoping it's gold. On this occasion, I was just relieved it wasn't a lead pipe.

The launch was every bit as theatrical as you would expect. There were cocktails, canapés and plenty of suspicious characters wandering around, including Coronation Street and Strictly star Ellie Leach, who was dressed as the glamorous Miss Scarlett.

Ellie has also starred in the UK tour of comedy thriller Cluedo 2, so she was perfectly placed to bring the character back to life.

'It's such an iconic character and game that everyone knows and loves,' she told me. 'To be able to bring Miss Scarlett back to life is really special.'

And she wasn't wrong.

Cluedo coin: Ellie Leach has helped launch the 50p coin, available from Royal Mint today

Cluedo is one of those games that seems to have been in almost every family home at some point. 

It has a remarkable ability to turn perfectly ordinary, respectable families into detectives, interrogators and, occasionally, sworn enemies.

Who killed Mr Black?

Was it Colonel Mustard in the conservatory?

Or was somebody quietly moving the pieces around when nobody was looking?

I suspect most of us have memories of Cluedo that go far beyond the game itself. The arguments, the accusations, the excitement when you finally work out the answer and the inevitable suspicion that somebody else has been cheating.

It's precisely that affection, the memories, the rituals and the arguments around the table that make our childhood favourites such powerful collectables.

And there was somebody at the launch who understands that better than most.

Marcia Lewis is the daughter of Anthony Pratt and his wife Elva, the Birmingham couple who created Cluedo.

During the Second World War, Anthony came up with the idea for the game while sitting at home during the blackout. 

Elva helped design the board, and Waddingtons eventually published Cluedo in 1949.

Marcia told me how proud her parents would have been to see the game become such a huge part of British popular culture.

She also visited The Royal Mint and struck her own Cluedo coin, which must have been a rather special moment.

History: Marcia Lewis - daughter of the couple who created the iconic game - struck her own version

For me, that is where the real fascination with collecting comes in.

Something doesn't have to be hundreds of years old, made from precious metal or incredibly rare to become collectible.

Sometimes it is the story.

Sometimes it is the memories.

And sometimes it is simply the fact that millions of people recognise something and have an emotional connection with it.

Cluedo certainly has that.

The Royal Mint is marking 100 years since Cluedo's first fictional murder in 1926, and the new 50p brings together six of the game's best-known suspects: Miss Scarlett, Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum, Mrs Peacock, Reverend Green and Mrs White.

Tim Mulhall, head of fandom at The Royal Mint, told me: 'Every coin we create tells a story, and the Cluedo 50p brings together two much loved British traditions, collecting and storytelling.'

The coin itself has been designed by Henry Gray and takes inspiration from the retro look and feel of the original game.

The question 'WHO, WHERE AND WITH WHAT?' features prominently, while selected editions include the familiar colours associated with the game.

Even the packaging has been designed to echo the Cluedo board and playing pieces.

But there is more to the coin than meets the eye.

There is hidden microtext featuring the names of characters, locations and weapons, which can be revealed using a magnifying glass or even the zoom function on your phone.

It is a lovely little detail, and exactly the sort of thing that makes collectors look twice.

How much will the coins cost? 

The coins launch on The Royal Mint website at 9am on September 28.

The Brilliant Uncirculated 50p will cost £19.95, with a colour version priced at £29.95. Neither has a fixed mintage.

For those looking for something rather more substantial, the coloured sterling silver Proof costs £99.50, with a presentation limit of 4,500 and a maximum total mintage of 4,511.

Then there is the 22-carat gold Proof, priced at £2,495. It weighs 15.5g, has a presentation limit of 80 and a maximum mintage of 90.

There is also a 1/40oz fine gold Proof priced at £195. This tiny 8mm coin features a design by Emma Noble, with a presentation limit of 1,250 and a maximum mintage of 1,260.

Work of art: The coins come in a variety of presentations - including a 22-carat gold Proof

What version should you be tempted by?  

My advice, as always, is to buy the edition you will actually enjoy owning and at a price you are comfortable with.

A low mintage might sound exciting, but low numbers alone don't make something valuable.

Ultimately, it is the combination of scarcity, demand, design and the story behind an item that determines future value. Based on those points I believe this coin is going to be much sought after for many years to come.

If you're buying it because you love Cluedo, that's a different matter entirely.

For me, that's what makes a coin like this so interesting. It isn't simply a piece of metal. It connects a much-loved game and the memories that come with it to something you can actually hold and collect.

And if you fancy something a little more indulgent, The Royal Mint is also launching a Cluedo Advent calendar for £39.95.

It is limited to 2,250 and contains 23 milk chocolate coins as well as a colour Brilliant Uncirculated 50p.

I'm not sure how good my chances would be of keeping the chocolate until Christmas, but at least there is no danger of somebody secretly eating the coin.

There is also a new online competition called The Case of the Missing Coin, launching on September 28.

A new clue will be released each week, with participants having to work out the suspect, location and type of coin involved. The competition closes on October 19, with the winner entering a prize draw to win a gold Cluedo 50p worth more than £2,000.

And if you want to get even closer to the action, visitors to The Royal Mint Experience in Llantrisant will be able to strike their own Cluedo 50p from October 6.

The visitor version features a simplified design by Emma Noble, and there is even a magnifying glass so you can investigate the hidden details against the Cluedo board.

From a family's imagination to generations gathered around a board, and now a little piece of British minting history, that's quite a legacy.