Rare 50p coin sells for £175 with thousands more out there - what to check your change for

A bidding war for a 50p coin from 2009 has led to it being sold for 350 times its worth whilst thousands more are in circulation.

There are only 210,000 'Kew Gardens' commemorative coins with a distinctive design out there.

Valuable coins don't just mean ones that are old. Due to its scarcity, the limited release 50p coin is the subject of bidding wars.

The 'genuine 2009 Kew Gardens 50p coin' listing on eBay created a 50-way auction before finally being sold for £175.

This little bit of change is very valuable, so it's worth checking through your pocket change to see if you're lucky enough to be carrying a small fortune, Lincoln Live reports.

The coin features the famous Chinese Pagoda at the Royal Botanic Garden on the tails side - The Queen's face features as normal on the other side.

Since the coin's launch in 2009, prices have rocketed because only 210,000 of the Kew Gardens pagoda coins were ever minted (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

It's always worth checking your change for some of the rarest coins in circulation across the UK, although finding a Kew Gardens 50p coin doesn't necessarily mean you're about to make a fortune.

A re-circulated version of the iconic coin was minted in 2019, as part of a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 50p coin.

As a much higher number of this coin was minted, it is considerably less valuable to collectors.

According to Coin Hunter, the Kew Gardens 50p piece normally sells for between £150.89 and £161.50, meaning this coin has sold for above the average.

Earlier this month, we spotted a coin of the same design selling for £150.

If you're looking to begin your own collection, it is important to make sure you're not falling for any scams.

Coin enthusiast website Change Checker has some tips on the best ways to ensure a Kew Gardens 50p coin is genuine.

They say the important things to look out for include the 'frosted design' or 'very high relief' on the design, which can be used on fakes.

They have also warned that coins that are 'too shiny' could be fakes, seeing as they have been in circulation since 2009 and many will have lost their shine by now.

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