Rare Kew Gardens 50p coin sells for £203 on eBay – do you have one in your spare change?
A RARE 50p coin celebrating 250 years since London's Kew Gardens opened its gates recently sold for almost £203 on eBay.
The 50p coin was released in 2009 and is considered to be one of the rarest coins in circulation.
The coin has 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.
In December, one Kew Gardens 50p sold for £186 on eBay after attracting 20 bids.
Coins that are closer to being in a near mint condition are more valuable to a buyer and typically sell for more.
Eventually, the 50p coin sold for £202.74 - almost 406 times its face value - making the seller a tidy profit.
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.
Uncirculated versions of the coins sell for even more online, but they came with a higher original price.
The Royal Mint also reissued a batch of the commemorative coins last year to mark 50 years of the 50p coin.
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.
Worried about fake Kew Gardens 50ps? Check out how you can spot one.
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.
We recently also reported how a rare Mrs Tittlemouse Beatrix Potter 50p coin sold for £430 on eBay.