Published 2 days ago • loading... • Updated 2 days ago
Rare Royal Mint 50p coin selling for almost 300 times its face value
The rare Royal Mint coin drew 13 bids after collectors drove its price to nearly 300 times face value, auction records showed.
A Kew Gardens 50p coin sold for £149.16 after 13 bids on eBay over the weekend, commemorating 250 years since the opening of the site in 1759.
The Royal Mint produced just over 210,000 of these coins, which feature the Chinese Pagoda at the Royal Botanic Gardens and a portrait of the Queen on the tails side.
A 50p depicting the Atlantic Salmon and bearing the King's portrait is now the rarest 50p coin in circulation, according to Royal Mint, with a mintage 10,000 less than the Kew Gardens coin.
Collectors are now being urged to check wallets and sofas for rare finds, as coin value depends on condition and whether it possesses an error in its design.
The 50 pence piece has become the most valued and collected coin in the UK; its 27.5mm diameter makes it the largest of any British coin, allowing space for decorative pictures.