A rare 50p coin that sold for £115 on eBay – 230 times its face value – could be sitting in your change. The Kew Gardens 50p coin, released in 2009, has become highly sought after among collectors, and households in Scotland are being urged to check their pockets and purses.
Coin sells for hundreds on eBay
The coin was spotted selling for £115 on the marketplace website, and it's not the first time such a sale has occurred. The @CoinCollectingWizard, a coin collector on TikTok, has previously described it as the "scarcest in UK circulation" and noted it is known to "sell for big money."
The eBay listing described the coin as "a genuine and rare 2009 Kew Gardens 50p coin from the United Kingdom," adding that it "holds historical and monetary value for collectors interested in British decimal coins from the era of Queen Elizabeth II."
Design and mintage
The Kew Gardens 50p coin was released to mark the 250th anniversary of the iconic gardens in London. Designed by Christopher Le Brun, it features the Chinese Pagoda at the site with an ornamental leafy vine weaving around the structure.
According to the Royal Mint, the coin has served as many people's gateway into coin collecting. The Mint said: "Demand for 50p coins was not high when the coin was released into circulation, which explains the low mintage of the piece. There have been reports of circulating and commemorative editions of this coin selling for much more than its face value, which has only increased its appeal to collectors."
Other rare coins to look for
With just 210,000 in UK circulation, the Kew Gardens 50p may be hard to spot, but it's not the only rare coin worth looking out for. A 2p coin has been reported as "rising in value," and a 1933 British penny has been deemed the "rarest in UK history" by the @CoinCollectingWizard. That penny holds a value of £72,000 and could potentially be in your pocket without you realising it.
