You may have one of these lurking in your loose change
A 50p coin has fetched an impressive 275 times its original value following a fierce bidding battle on eBay.
The piece was struck in 2009 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Kew Gardens. One side features the distinctive Chinese Pagoda, while the other displays a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II. With The Royal Mint producing only approximately 210,000 of these coins, they’ve become highly coveted amongst collectors. Experts value the coin at around £145, suggesting this fortunate eBay seller may have narrowly missed out on maximum returns.
The listing, described as “Amazingly Rare Kew Gardens Uncirculated 50 Pence Piece”, opened with a starting bid of £80. As 13 bidders competed for the coin, the price climbed steadily before ultimately settling at £137.86.
Monetary experts believe hundreds of thousands of these Kew Gardens coins remain in circulation, making it worthwhile to rummage through your pockets, purses, and even between sofa cushions. Should you discover a Kew Gardens 50p, the crucial first step is to verify the date stamped on it.
This matters because The Royal Mint released a second run of these coins in 2019 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 50p denomination. While these later editions typically command lower prices, they’ve still been known to achieve around £70 or £80 on eBay.
