Rare Kew Gardens 50p coin sells for £186 on eBay – how to tell if yours is worth a mint
A RARE 50p coin celebrating 250 years since the opening of Kew Gardens has recently sold on eBay for £186.
The 50p coin was released back in 2009 and is considered to be one of the rarest coins in circulation.
The coin features one of the garden buildings that's at the UNESCO World Heritage Site; the Chinese Pagoda built in 1761.
Only 210,000 of the coins were released into circulation - a small amount compared to others, such as the Mrs Tiggy-Winkle 50p from the Beatrix Potter collection which was released with a mintage of 8.8million.
It's topped ChangeChecker's scarcity index for the past few years, as it's still a huge hit among collectors.
Most of these coins sell online for anything between £90 and £190, depending on what condition they're in.
Coins that are closer to being in a near mint condition are more valuable to a buyer and typically sell for more.
The seller described this particular coin as being in "very good circulation" condition, although the photograph showed that there are a few scratches on both sides of it.
The coin was listed with a starting price of £9.99 and received 20 bids from nine different interested buyers over a seven day auction period.
Eventually, the 50p coin sold for 372 times its face value, making the seller a tidy profit.
Uncirculated versions of the coins sell for even more online.
If you bought one of these 50ps directly from the Royal Mint for around £30 11 years ago then you can expect to fetch around £300 online.
What to do if you've got a rare coin
FIRSTLY, you need to make sure the coin is legit and not counterfeit. The Royal Mint is unable to value a coin but it can confirm whether it is real or not.
They will usually supply you with a letter to confirm this. Once you’ve found out whether the coin is real or not, you have a number of options - either selling it through a coin dealer, at auction or on eBay.
If you want to sell the coin you’ve found in your spare change on eBay then you need to know the risks.
Remember to set a minimum price that is higher or at the very least equal to the face value of the coin.
Even if your coin “sells” on eBay for a high price there’s no guarantee that the buyer will cough out.
It its terms and conditions, the auction website states that bidders enter a “legally binding contract to purchase an item”, but there’s no way to enforce this rule in reality.
For more information about what to do if you've found a rare coin, read our guide.
The Royal Mint reissued a batch of the commemorative coins last year to mark 50 years of the 50p coin.
But even though they never entered into circulation, Kew Gardens 50p coins stamped with the year "2019" fetch up to £74 on eBay.
Fifty pence coins with other designs could actually sell for more online - here's our guide to the most valuable ones that you should look out for.
For example, we recently reported how a rare Mrs Tittlemouse Beatrix Potter 50p coin sold for £430 on eBay.
If you think you've got a rare coin in your change and you want to sell it, you should start by checking on eBay to see how much similar coins have recently sold for.
Anyone can list a coin for thousands of pounds but the "completed" listings will give you a more realistic idea of sold prices.
Also remember to factor in listing fees before deciding whether to sell the coin.
For specialist coins, or ones that are much older and have a higher value, speak to an expert. Try a valuation service such as .