COIN collectors are spending hundreds of pounds to get their hands on a rare Kew Gardens 50p.
The commemorative coin could be worth much more than its face value.
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Kew Gardens is best-known for its beautiful gardens and scenery.
A 50p coin was released into circulation in 2009 that recognised the British landmark.
It features the site’s iconic Chinese Pagoda.
The Royal Mint launched the coin to mark 250 years since the gardens opened.
Most read in rare coins
The coin displays the years 1759 and 2009.
It was a limited edition release, making it a rare coin that could be worth a lot of money if it pops up in your spare change.
Some have been known to sell for around £700 on eBay.
We explain how rare the Kew Garden 50p coin is and how much it could be worth.
How rare is the Kew Gardens 50p?
Only 210,000 of these coins were released, making it pretty rare.
For comparison, a whopping 10 million Brexit 50p coins were minted.
This scarcity adds to the value of the Kew Gardens 50p.
Its low mintage has helped the coin rank as one of the top ten rarest coins in circulation, according to The Royal Mint.
The Kew Gardens coin is also number one in Changechecker‘s most recent 50p scarcity index, a position it’s held for years as one of the most sought after.
But it also makes it less likely to turn up in your spare change.
How much is the Kew Gardens 50p worth?
The scarcity of the coin means it is pretty valuable if you find one.
Many crop up on eBay and are bought and sold by keen collectors at auction.
We’ve seen the coin sell for as much as £707 before, though another sold for £310 after 29 bids in February.
We also spotted a coin that sold on eBay for £300.88 after 19 bids in December.
The real value of these particular coins can be a bit of a minefield as it can depend on demand, sentiment and ultimately how much a buyer will pay.
It’s also impossible to know for sure whether the coin actually sold for as much as it was listed for.
How to check your spare change
Coins with rare designs or to commemorate historic figures and events such as The Olympics often attract high values.
Use experts like Coin Hunter to check over your change and see how much it could be worth or refer to the Changechecker scarcity index.
It is worth looking at how other rare coins have sold on eBay
Watch out for fakes though.
Get your coin verified by The Royal Mint to reassure buyers that they’re paying for the real deal if you try to sell it as this can bump up the price.
If bidding on a coin, check how many others are interested as this can provide an indication of how valuable and genuine a coin is.
This is a good idea to help push up the price too as you can advertise it as genuine.
Rare coins and valuable notes – is yours worth a mint?
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