Experts estimate there are still thousands of the coin out there
Royal Mint unveils 50p coin celebrating The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe
A 50p coin has fetched an impressive £122 after sparking a bidding war on eBay. Many coins are sought after by collectors, with some worth huge sums of cash.
This particular piece is one of the UK’s rarest, and while it has a face value of 50p, experts reckon the coin is worth around £145, meaning this eBay seller may have lost out somewhat. The Royal Mint is believed to have minted roughly 210,000 of these coins, which were launched in 2009 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Kew Gardens.
The piece displays the famous Chinese Pagoda from the gardens on one face and the late Queen’s portrait on the reverse. The coin appeared on eBay titled “2009 KEW GARDENS 50p BRITISH CIRCULATED COIN RARE”.
The opening bid was just 99p, but after a 29-way bidding war, the price jumped up and up to a final £122, some 244 times the coin’s face value. The buyer also had to pay £3.75 for tracked Royal Mail 48 hour delivery.
Experts believe there are still hundreds of thousands of Kew Gardens 50p coins circulating, meaning one could well be hiding in your loose change. If you do find one in your wallet, moneybox, or down the back of the sofa, the first thing you should do is check the date on it.
This is because the Royal Mint released another batch of these coins in 2019 to mark 50 years of the 50p, and this edition typically doesn’t sell for as much. That said, these coins have been known to sell for up to £80 on eBay, so it could still be well worth listing it online.