Rare 50p coin sells for £142 and there are more out there

A rare 50p coin has sold for a huge 284 times its original value after sparking a bidding war online.

Many coins are worth more than their face value, with collectors all too keen to snap them up. This one in particular is estimated to be worth around £140, so the seller has been that extra bit lucky in this instance.

The coin was released in 2009 to mark 250 years since Kew Gardens opened in 1759 and the Royal Mint estimate around 210,000 were made. It features the famous Chinese Pagoda at the Royal Botanic Garden on the tails side with the late Queen's face on the other.

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Listed as a "Kew Gardens Rare 50p Coin 2009" on eBay, the item had an initial starting price of £19.99. After a 13-way bidding war, however, the final sale price was £142.

The buyer also had to pay £4.99 for "economy delivery".

There are an estimated 210,000 of the coins in circulation, so if could be well worth checking your change for a Kew Gardens 50p. If you do find one, the first thing you should do is check the date on it.

This is because the Royal Mint reissued a batch of the coins in 2019 to celebrate 50 years of the 50p, and this version doesn’t tend to sell for as much. That said, these ones have been known to sell for around £70 or £80 on eBay so you could still be in for an exciting payday.

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