20-05-2025
Check your change as seller near Bolton receives £129 for rare 50p coin
Coins are more than just a bit of loose change in our pockets and purses – sometimes we can earn a small fortune from collecting them.
Lots of people find rare and valuable coins and sell them on to try and make a few quid so it's worth checking what's lying around your home.
An eBay seller in Manchester listed a Kew Gardens 50p coin and got £129.07 for it.
With 13 bids, the coin which features the Kew Gardens pagoda with a decorative leafy climber twining in and around the tower, caused a mini-bidding war on the online auction site.
The Kew Gardens 50p coin sold for more than £125 (Image: eBay) The Royal Mint said 'the Kew Gardens 50p is arguably the most sought-after' 50p coin and 'one of our most iconic and loved 50p coins'.
It added that you might not get one in your change as they are so rare and often belong to collectors: 'Nothing gets people excited quite like this original 2009 design. Just 210,000 were released into circulation and with almost all of them in private hands, the chances of coming across one in your change are slim.'
The Royal Mint explained: 'The venerable institution depicted on the Kew Gardens 50p coin is the nation's most famous royal botanical garden.
'The reverse design, created by Christopher Le Brun RA, features the famous Chinese Pagoda at Kew with a decorative leafy climber twining in and around the tower.
'Demand for the 50p denomination was not high at the time of release into circulation which explains the low mintage of this particular design.'
The Kew Gardens 50p coin is currently the second most valuable 50p coin.
Here is a list of the top 10 most valuable 50p coins, when they were made and how many were minted:
Atlantic Salmon (2023), 200,000
Kew Gardens (2009), 210,000
Olympic Wrestling (2011), 1,129,500
Olympic Football (2011), 1,161,500
Olympic Judo (2011), 1,161,500
Olympic Triathlon (2011), 1,163,500
Peter Rabbit (2018), 1,400,000
Flopsy Bunny (2018), 1,400,000
Olympic Tennis (2011), 1,454,000
Olympic Goalball (2011), 1,615,500
The 50 pence piece has become the most valued and collected coin in the UK, with many collectable designs appearing on its heptagonal canvas.
Its 27.5mm diameter makes it the largest of any British coin, and allows space for decorative pictures. It has often been used to celebrate big events over the past 50 years of British history.
Recommended reading:
How to get your old coins valued - are you sitting on a fortune?
Three 'rare' 50p coins in 'excellent condition' being sold by Bolton resident
Britain's 'most sought-after' rare 50p coin listed by Bolton resident
The rarest coins tend to be of the greatest value, with the mintage (number of coins with each design made) being the fundamental attraction for collectors.
Along with the design, other aspects of the coin which increase value are the condition of the coin and whether it has an error in its design.
The way in which it is sold can also determine the coin's value - while some coin collectors will bid vast amounts of money on eBay or at auction, others opt for more robust valuations by selling via a coin dealer.
