Rare Kew Gardens 50p coin sells on eBay for £150 – how to check if your change is worth a mint
A RARE Kew Gardens coin has sold on eBay for nearly £150 after a bidding war from collectors.
The circulated 50p is one of 210,000 that were launched back in 2009, making them a must-have among coin fans.
With such a low mintage, it's considered to be one of the rarest coins in circulation - for context, the Mrs Tiggy-Winkle 50p from the Beatrix Potter collection 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 buyers.
The coin features one of the garden buildings at the UNESCO World Heritage Site; the Chinese Pagoda built in 1761.
Most of these coins sell online for anything between £90 and £190, depending on what condition they're in.
This particular coin ended up selling for £149 just 24 hours after being listed for just 99p.
Coins that are closer to being in a near mint condition are more valuable to a buyer and typically sell for more.
The seller didn't specify exactly what condition the coin is in but you can see a few scratches on both sides from the photos.
Even so, in the short amount of time that it was up for auction is received 22 bids.
Eventually, it sold for almost 300 times its face value, so it's worth checking your change to see if you have one at home.
If you to spot one in your purse, first check for the date - the Royal Mint reissued a batch of the coins in 2019 as part of a collection to celebrate 50 years of the 50p.
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.
Even though they never entered into circulation, the 2019 version fetches up to £74 on eBay.
Before selling it, it's probably worth getting it verified by the Royal Mint - you'd be surprised at home many fake coins are in circulation.
While they won't be able put a value on it they will be able to provide you with a letter to confirm that it is legitimate.
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 .
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