RARE 50ps are always a favourite of keen coin collectors, especially the 2009 Kew Gardens special – of which only 210,000 exist.
It’s one of the rarest and most valuable to collect, so much so, that one seller managed to bag as much as £157.75 for a copy they sold on eBay this month.
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This particular 50p coin sold over 300 times its face value on November 6, and it’s all down to its unique design and low mintage.
The coin features an image of the Chinese pagoda from the popular London attraction, Kew Gardens, and according to Changechecker it’s the raresrt type in circulation.
The Royal Mint also dubs the coin as one of the top ten rarest in circulation overall, beating out a number of rare 10ps, £1 coins and more.
But we’re not the only ones to know that, as 11 bidders were keen to snap up the Kew Gardens 50p at this latest online auction.
In total, 22 bids were placed in the hopes of winning the coin.
Bidding started at 99p 10 days prior to the sale closing on almost £158, so it didn’t take long for the value to rack up.
But it’s not the most we’ve seen the coin go for before, as one has sold for as much as £707 in the past.
At the beginning of the month, a similar coin sold for exactly £370 on eBay, but we have also seen it go for £281 before, and £170 in the past.
How to spot one in your own change
Coins with unique designs will usually be favoured by collectors so there’s a good chance you can sell one on if you find it in your own change.
Rare error coins will often do well at auction too, selling for hundreds more than their face value due to simple mistakes in the minting process.
But whether you’re buying or selling, beware of fakes.
Compare how other rare coins have sold on eBay as a good reference, or use experts like Coin Hunter to check over your change and see how much it could be worth.
You could also get any rarities you find verified by The Royal Mint to help reassure buyers that they’re paying for the real deal – you may even be able to hike up the price a bit then if you’re selling it on.
But remember that on eBay a buyer can always pull out too, which means the coin won’t have sold for the price it appears to have.
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