• Business

    UK households urged to check change as ‘rare’ 50p coin sells for huge sum

    AnyFans Posted on

    By Hannah Ahmed,Kate Lally

    Copyright birminghammail

    UK households urged to check change as 'rare' 50p coin sells for huge sum

    A ‘rare’ 50p coin has sold for over £100 as UK households are urged to check their change. The coin, which was advertised on eBay, was purchased for £122. While some may think this is extortionate for a 50p piece – there is a special reason as to why these are so desirable. Only 21,000 coins were minted by The Royal Mint, with the piece which features a distinctive Chinese Pagoda on one side, and the Queen’s face on the other, forming part of the 250th anniversary celebrations of Kew Gardens in 2009. This coin was listed on eBay as “2009 KEW GARDENS 50p BRITISH CIRCULATED COIN RARE.” READ MORE: Sarah Ferguson ‘going through hell’ after charities axe her There was an opening sale figure of 99p on the site, but this quickly increases as 29 bids rolled in and eager coin collectors got down to business. The coin finally sold for £122, with a £3.75 charge for 48 hour tracked delivery, the Mirror reported. Experts believe there are still hundreds of thousands of Kew Gardens 50p coins circulating, so one might well be lurking in your change. If you do find one, you should first check the date on it. This is because the Royal Mint released another batch of the coins in 2019 to mark 50 years of the 50p, and this edition typically doesn’t command as high a price. However these pieces have been known to secure around £70 or £80 on eBay, so it could still prove worthwhile putting it up for sale. According to the Royal Mint, these are the rarest 50p coins in circulation: READ MORE: B&M under fire from shoppers over change to UK stores they ‘can’t believe’ To work out whether you have a rare coin at home or not, BullionByPost has explained how mintage number, the number of coins produced and the amount of coins in circulation should be considered when evaluating how limited a coin is. If a mistake was made while the coin was minted, or there is some sort of variation within it, this is pinpointed as another sign to look out for. The website stated: “Valuable coins are not necessarily scarce coins, but rarity will always add to the value of a coin. Precious metal bullion coins, such as gold Sovereigns, have an initial high price because of their metal content.”

    You Might Also Like