The coin was one of approximately 210,000 released in 2009 by Royal Mint to mark 250 years since Kew Gardens opened in southwest London. The piece of metal features the famous Chinese Pagoda at the Royal Botanic Garden on the tail side, with the Queen’s face as normal on the other.
Change checking website Coin Hunter puts the average resale price for the Kew Gardens 50p between £150.89 and £161.50. According to its eBay listing, the “Kew Gardens 50p genuine 2009 circulated coin Good Condition Fifty Pence Rare” had a starting price of just 99p.
But following a 21-way bidding war, the price soon jumped up and up, with one seller getting their hands on it for £136 – plus £2.35 postage and packaging, reports Liverpool Echo today.
According to Coin Hunter’s estimates, this particular coin has sold for a below average price. However, there have also been examples of this coin selling for as much as £200 in the past.
If you find a Kew Gardens 50p in your change soon, the first thing you should do is check the date on it. This is because the Royal Mint reissued a batch of the coins in 2019 to celebrate 50 years of the 50p – and this version doesn’t tend to sell for as much.
But you could still be in for an exciting payday if you find one of these, as they can sell for between £70 and £80 on eBay.
Kew Gardens, which is in the Richmond borough of affluent southwest London, opened in 1759 and now boasts of one the largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, which manages the site, employs more than 1,100 people and is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
More than 2.3 million people visited Kew Gardens in 2019.
