Rare Kew Gardens 50p coin sells for £234 on eBay – how to spot one in your change
A RARE 50p featuring an image of the Chinese Pagoda at Kew Gardens on one side has sold on eBay for £234.
Because the 50p is one of the most sought after rare coins, it's sold for more than 468 times its face value.
There are so few of the 50p Kew Gardens coins out there that collectors are keen to snap up a version any chance they get.
They'll usually be willing to pay a steep price for one too.
Only 210,000 were released into circulation when the coin was minted in 2009.
The Royal Mint has revealed that the 50p is also in the top ten rarest coins, which helps explain why its value has rocketed so much.
After from 16 different bidders on a listing that started at just £1, this particular coin eventually sold for well over £200.
The auction was only live for seven days, but it was enough time for coin hunters to get excited.
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It's not the highest we've seen the commemorative coin fetch online though, as one bidder walked away paying as much as £707.
More recently though, one seller cashed in on £142 for another version of the rare coin.
If you discover a similar rare coin in your change and try listing it on eBay, you could find yourself quids-in too.
Getting the coin verified by The Royal Mint can help to reassure your buyer that they're paying for the real deal - and it could push up the price too.
You can also compare other rare coins on eBay to see how much they have sold for as reference.
That way you'll also be able to check you're not overpaying for a rare error coin, or underselling a version you might have already.
Plus, online tools from change experts like are helpful to see how much it could be worth.
In 's latest scarcity index on 50ps, Kew Gardens made top of the charts once again.
It's been in that spot on the scarcity index for years, as the rarest and most sought after of commemorative coins, even sparking bidding wars amongst collectors on eBay in the past.
If you're looking for other ways to verify the coin though, the number of bids on the listing can help you establish that the coin is the real deal.
This listing had more than 50 bids before closing on September 19, showing collectors were keen.
The seller has a fantastic eBay rating too, with over 3,000 positive ratings on eBay within the past 12 months.
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However, do remember that if you're selling on eBay a buyer could pull out, which means the coin won't have sold for the price it appears to have.
Also keep in mind that on some occasions, rare coins with errors can be worth thousands of pounds each too and it's easy for these to pop up in your change as well.
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