A rare 50p coin has sold for 350 times its original value after a bidding war on eBay. The coin, which is sought after by collectors, is estimated to be worth around £140, meaning the seller did very well when it sold for £175.
The coin was minted in 2009 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Kew Gardens’ opening in 1759. The Royal Mint produced approximately 210,000 of these coins, which feature the iconic Chinese Pagoda from the Royal Botanic Garden on one side and the late Queen’s portrait on the other.
Listed as a “Rare 100% Genuine 2009 Kew Gardens 50p Coin” on eBay, the coin started with a modest price tag of £20. However, after 27 bids, the price climbed to a final sale price of £175, with free postage thrown in on top.
With 210,000 of these coins still in circulation, it might be worth rummaging through your spare change for a Kew Gardens 50p. If you’re lucky enough to find one, make sure to check the date.
This is because the Royal Mint reissued a batch of these coins in 2019 to mark the 50th anniversary of the 50p coin, and these versions don’t fetch as high a price. However, they have been known to sell for between £70 and £80 on eBay, so you could still be in for a decent payout.
This isn’t the only coin to have hit headlines in recent days. In a viral TikTok clip from @CoinCollectingWizard, other app users were told of the potential value of a certain two pence piece. He detailed: “£1,000 if your 2p says New Pence. There are so many news articles and eBay listings of people trying to sell the 1971 New Pence Two Pence coin for thousands.”