Rare 50p coin is selling for more than 300 times its value
The 50p coin in question was issued in 2009 to mark 250 years since Kew Gardens opened in 1759.
Just over 200,000 examples of the coin were produced by the Royal Mint, which describes the Kew Gardens anniversary coin as its most valuable.
The reverse of the coin shows the Chinese pagoda in the Royal Botanic Gardens and a portrait of the queen.
After the 50p coin was listed on online auction site eBay, there were 20 bids before it sold for £172 on Monday.
What makes a coin valuable?
The 50p piece has become the most valuable and collected coin in the UK due to its heptagonal canvas featuring many collectible motifs.
At 27.5mm in diameter, it is the largest of all British coins and offers space for decorative images. Over the last 50 years of British history it has often been used to celebrate major events.
The rarest coins tend to have the greatest value, with mintage (number of coins with each design produced) being the main attraction for collectors.
In addition to the design, other aspects of the coin that increase the value include the condition of the coin and whether it has a flaw in the design.
How the coin is sold can also determine the coin’s value – while some coin collectors bid large sums on eBay or at auction, others opt for a more solid appraisal and sell it through a coin dealer.
The rarest 50p coins in circulation in the UK?
The Royal Mint has unveiled the most valuable 50p coin ahead of the golden anniversary of 1971 decimalisation.
The rarest is the Kew’s Garden 50p, designed to celebrate the gardens’ 250th anniversary in 2009. Only 210,000 coins were ever minted with this design.
The Kew Gardens 50p sells for £156.25 on average, but one seller received over £700 for one when selling it on eBay.
The other rarest coins predominantly come from the 2011 Olympics, with the wrestling, football and judo coins being among the most valuable. Only 1.1 million of each of these coins were produced.
The Flopsy Bunny and Peter Rabbit designs produced in 2018 are also very valuable.
These coins – 1.4 million of which were minted – depict the characters from Beatrix Potter’s novels and celebrate the life of the English writer. They sell for around £5.
In 2019, 500 million coins were produced with three new 50p designs.
These included one of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, the Paddington Bear in St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London.
The 10 most valuable 50p coins according to the Royal Mint
Here is a list of the ten most valuable coins, when they were made and how many were minted:
- 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
- Olympic shooting (2011): 1,656,500
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/23800031.rare-50p-coin-sells-300-times-value/?ref=rss Rare 50p coin is selling for more than 300 times its value
