WORCESTERSHIRE residents are being urged to check their purses, wallets, cars and down the side of the sofa for a ‘special’ 50p coin, which could actually be worth £150.
There are an estimated 210,000 in circulation.
The coins in question are from the Kew Garden release. If you have one, you’re sitting on a small fortune.
On Tuesday, one lucky seller received £150 for theirs – some 300 times its original value. The coin was released in 2009 to mark 250 years since Kew Gardens opened in 1759 and the Royal Mint estimate around 210,000 were made.
It features the famous Chinese Pagoda at the Royal Botanic Garden on the tails side with the Queen’s face as normal on the other.
A total of nine offers were placed, with the eventual sale price jumping up considerably from an initial 99p.
Change checking website Coin Hunter puts the average price range for the Kew Gardens 50p being sold between £150.89 and £161.50, meaning that this particular coin has sold for an above average price. However, there have also been examples of this coin selling for as much as £200 in the past.
If you find a Kew Gardens 50p in your change soon, the first thing you should do is check the date on it.
This is because the Royal Mint reissued a batch of the coins in 2019 to celebrate 50 years of the 50p – and this version doesn’t tend to sell for as much.
But you could still be in for an exciting payday if you find one of these, as they can sell for between £70 and £80 on eBay.
