A RARE 50p coin has sold on eBay 500 times higher than its face value, as one lucky bidder managed to claim it for their own with a £250 offer.
In any other circumstance a 50p is worth exactly that – 50p. But this coin features a unique twist that means it’s more in demand than any other.
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That means collectors, who know what they’re looking for, will offer high prices to get their owns hands on a copy.
It’s because the coin is the rarest of them all -according to Change Checker’s latest scarcity index anyway.
It’s the rare 2009 Kew Gardens 50p, of which only 210,000 exist.
On the reverse side it features an image of the Chinese pagoda that stands at the heart of the London attraction the coin is named after.
We often see this particular style coin sell for hundreds of pounds on eBay so it’s no strange feat, and this particular coin managed to catch the attention of 28 bids.
Those were placed within the short time frame of just one day, though bids kicked off at a whopping £90 to start with.
RARE COINS AND VALUABLE NOTES
We’ve seen copies of the coin reach £190 in the past, and £177 before too, so £250 is an impressive price to call the final sale on.
How to spot one and make a mint
It’s always worthing having a rifle through your own change to spot any unique designs – if you find one you could make a lot of money from it on eBay.
The Kew Gardens 50p, like other commemorative style coins, will usually sell for hundreds of pounds, so you could definitely make a mint.
Even the odd minting error raises interest too.
They’ll all usually be produced in low numbers so demand from collectors is high.
If you look at other listings on eBay you’ll be able to determine how much your own change could go for.
But you should also always keep in mind that on eBay a buyer could pull out, which means the coin won’t have sold for the price it says it has.
Be cautious of fakes too, as they’ll often show up online.
You can check your change with experts like Coin Hunter or The Royal Mint if you want to know if your change is worth what others are saying.
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