Posts Tagged ‘rare Kew Gardens 50p’
So you think you know the Kew Gardens 50p?
The rarest 50p in circulation, the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p, is at the top of many collectors’ wish lists, but how well do you actually know this elusive coin?
Extremely low circulating mintage
Most collectors will know that what makes the Kew Gardens 50p so sought-after is its incredibly low mintage figure of just 210,000! That’s nearly 7 times less than the next rarest circulating 50p – the 2018 Peter Rabbit 50p.
With 1.5 billions 50ps in circulation since 1997, that means Kew Gardens 50ps make up just 0.013% of all circulating 50ps!
A question we were asked recently is ‘Why were so few Kew Gardens 50ps put out into circulation?‘
The answer is simple – demand for the 50p denomination was not high at the time when the Kew Gardens 50p was released into circulation. But why…
Banks, cash centres and the Treasury forecasted demand for coin denominations and had put their order in with The Royal Mint for 2009 coins. The Royal Mint started minting the Kew Gardens 50ps, but as the forecast was reduced, minting had to be stopped after just 210,000 had been produced. So the 210,000 2009 Kew Gardens 50ps we have in circulation today were originally just the start of a much bigger order.
Another factor which could have contributed to the forecast being reduced is the huge amount of 50ps which went into circulation the year before – a whopping 26,247,000!
How to spot a fake
Unfortunately, this level of attention and popularity can cause problems, and some unlucky collectors fell pray to buying fake Kew Gardens 50ps on the secondary market.
Luckily, there are some easy ways to identify an authentic Kew Gardens 50p, here’s what to look out for which could indicate a fake:
- Frosted finish on the pagoda and years
- High relief design
- An extra pointy roof on the pagoda
- The Queen’s neckline alignment
- Larger designer initials
- More rounded features on Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait
- Lighter than a standard 50p (8 grams)
Design difference
It’s often thought that two extra lines either side of the word ‘Kew’ at the bottom of the design is another sign of a fake Kew Gardens 50p, and whilst this can indicate a dodgy copy, these lines do actually appear on the Brilliant Uncirculated and Proof versions of the coin.
Image credit: The Royal Mint
This is likely due to the level of detail achieved by striking proof and brilliant uncirculated coins making the lines more visible than on the circulating version.
The Kew Gardens 50p was re-issued in 2019 as part of the 50th Anniversary of the 50p celebrations, however this version was not intended for circulation and therefore also features the extra lines.
Did you know, coins intended for circulation are struck just once at a rate of up to 750 per minute, whereas Brilliant Uncirculated coins are struck twice with a greater force using hand polished dies at a rate of up to 300 per minute, giving much more definition. Proof coins go the extra step and are struck several times at a rate of between 50 and 100 per hour.
Potential Errors
Minting errors and mis-strikes can make coins more sought after by collectors and even add value. A few eagle eyed collectors have reported finding interesting variations on their Kew Gardens 50ps which could be a result of an error or mis-strike at the time of minting.
Extra ‘leaf’
One collector took to an online coin forum to share their Kew Gardens 50p which had what looked like an additional leaf at the bottom right of the pagoda. After some speculation, it was suggested that the extra ‘leaf’ may have been caused by die wear or maybe a die chip during striking.
Image Credit: MrV via coincommunity.com
‘Struck thru’
A strike-through, or ‘struck thru’ error is caused by another object coming between a blank and a die at the time of striking. The outline of the object – usually staples, metal shavings, cloth fibres or hairs – is pressed into the blank’s surface.
A handful of collectors reported finding strike-through errors on the obverse of their Kew Gardens 50p, one across the Queen’s cheek, the other at the top left of the obverse. Both of these have been authenticated by the Numismatic Guaranty Company as genuine errors.
Image Credit: JackCoins1975 via eBay
Credit: Mr Jibble on YouTube
Do you have a Kew Gardens 50p?
Are you one of the lucky 210,000 people to own a 2009 Kew Gardens 50p? Or perhaps you got your hands on a 2019 re-issue? Let us know in the comments!
The eBay Tracker gets a shake up! June 2024 update
If you have any of the below coins or banknotes in your collection, read on to find out how much they could be worth in our latest eBay Tracker and Valuation Index update!
Since January 2017, our eBay Tracker has monitored the secondary market prices of 10 of the top UK coins and banknotes. However, due to demand for rare and sought after coins changing over the years, and the introduction of the new King Charles III banknotes, we’ve updated the coins and banknotes on our tracker to give you the most relevant data on the top UK coins and banknotes right now.
You might notice that your favourite coin or banknote that we usually track is missing, but you can always check out our previous eBay Tracker updates to see how their value has changed over time.
eBay Tracker
Of course, we’ll still be tracking the secondary market selling price of the rarest 50p and £2 in circulation – the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p and the 2002 Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games £2, as their extremely low mintage figures make them some of the hardest coins to find in your change.
We’ll also keep monitoring the undated 20p, the 92/93 EEC 50p, the 2018 Sir Isaac Newton 50p and the rarest Olympic coin – the Football 50p.
Kew Gardens 50p
In 2014, 5 years after its release, The Royal Mint revealed that only 210,000 Kew Gardens 50p coins had been struck for circulation, making it the scarcest UK coin in circulation. And 10 years later, people are still willing to pay hefty sums to get their hands on one, in fact it’s the only coin on our tracker to have increased in price in the last 6 months.
The average secondary market value for a Kew Gardens 50p is currently around £145, which is just £7 more than our last update.
Undated 20p
The undated 20p is often thought of as the ‘holy grail of change collecting’, as it’s not been confirmed just how many of these error coins made it into circulation. As one of the most sought-after coins, it’s at the top of many collectors’ wish lists, and some are willing to pay up to £50 to get their hands on one!
Although that’s 22% decrease since our last eBay Tracker update, it’s still a whopping 250 times the coin’s face value!
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 50p
The very first UK coin to feature King Charles III on the obverse after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 paid tribute to Her Majesty’s life and record breaking reign. As only the second ever royal UK 50p AND the first UK coin to feature the new monarch, collectors were keen to get their hands on the 2022 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 50p.
Those who weren’t able to find one in their change straight away took to the secondary market and, back in January 2023 when it first appeared on our eBay Tracker, were willing to pay up to five times its face value! Since then, however, the median secondary market selling price has slowly decreased, as more and more are being found ‘in the wild’ and since The Royal Mint announced that there are 9.6 million of them in circulation – more than the amount of definitive Royal Shield 50ps that entered circulation the same year.
New additions to the eBay Tracker
As of June 2024, we’ll start tracking the median secondary market selling price of some other rare coins in circulation as well as some newer coins and banknotes that are proving hard for collectors to find.
Salmon 50p
The first coin to enter circulation from the New UK Coinage set featuring King Charles III was the Atlantic Salmon 50p. In November 2023, an estimated 500,000 Salmon 50ps entered circulation, but The Royal Mint are yet to announce the definitive mintage figure.
Collectors haven’t been having much luck finding them in their change and due to this, they’ve been selling for a pretty penny on the secondary market, fetching up to £14.50!
Have you found an Atlantic Salmon 50p in your change? Let us know where you found one!
W (World Wide Web) 10p
The A-Z of Great Britain 10p series was first issued in 2018, with a 10p representing something quintessentially British for each letter of the alphabet. A second wave of these 10ps was issued in 2019, and out of all of them, the 2019 W for World Wide Web 10p has the lowest mintage figure of just 63,000 – even lower than the Kew Gardens 50p!
According to our eBay Tracker, you can expect to pay up to £4.50 for a W 10p on the secondary market, not a bad return on a 10p coin!
The first ever King Charles III Banknotes
The first ever King Charles III banknotes entered circulation on 5th June 2024, however they were only available at a select few locations. As these new notes will only be issued to replace worn or damaged Queen Elizabeth II going forward, they’ve inevitably become extremely sought after by collectors.
A King Charles III £5 banknote will cost you up to £25 on the secondary market, whilst a £10 note featuring His Majesty will set you back £21.
Valuation Index
Using the total price of the coins and banknotes tracked, the Valuation Index follows the rise and fall of their overall value, measured in points against the baseline set at January 2017.
Since the last update in January 2024, there’s been a 5% decrease in the overall value of the Top 12 coins and banknotes on the eBay Tracker, but bear in mind that the coins and banknotes tracked have been updated, as represented by the vertical dotted line on the graph.
eBay Tracker FAQs
How does the eBay Tracker work?
The Change Checker eBay Tracker takes the last 9 sold prices on eBay and gives the median price achieved. By taking the median, rather than an average, we avoid skewing figures with excessively high or low prices.
Please note that the Change Checker eBay Tracker is only ever designed to be a guide as to prices achieved on eBay. Prices may vary depending on collector demand and the quality of the coin being sold. It does not provide any guarantee as to future values of coins.
My coin isn’t on the eBay Tracker
The eBay Tracker follows the movements of the top UK coins and banknotes, however if your coin doesn’t appear on the tracker you can use our 6 point guide to help determine the realistic value for your coin.
Find out more about your coins
If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use!
How much is your Coronation 50p worth? January 2024 eBay Tracker update!
Do you have any of the below coins or banknotes in your collection? If so, read on to find out how much they could be worth in our latest eBay Tracker and Valuation Index!
The secondary market can be a bit of a minefield, so we’ve put together an easy way for you to see how much the top 11 UK coins and banknotes are selling for right now.
eBay Tracker
Overall, things have been fairly consistent since our last update in June 2023, however individually, there have been some sizeable increases in prices and some surprising decreases.
Excitingly, this is the first eBay Tracker to feature the King Charles III Coronation 50p! When we last updated our index, this coin had only been available for a short while as it didn’t enter circulation until August 2023. However 6 months on, collectors have had the chance to find the Coronation 50p there have been a fair few listings on the secondary market.
Coronation 50p
The Coronation 50p enters the tracker with a median value of £2.69. Although that may not seem very much, it’s still over 5 times the coin’s face value, and considering it’s only been in circulation for 5 months, that’s quite the increase!
2015 Britannia £2
Moving onto the coin that’s seen the biggest increase in selling value – the 2015 Britannia £2. With a huge 39% increase since our last update, the Britannia £2 is currently selling for around £6.24 on the secondary market.
Britannia first appeared on the Farthing in 1672 and subsequently featured on various UK coins for more than 300 years. After being dropped from the 50p in 2008, Britannia had its resurgence in 2015 when it replaced the technology design on our definitive £2 coins.
Olympic Football 50p
The Olympic Football 50p is also worth keeping an eye on, as we’ve seen a 24% increase in its secondary market value! The 2011 Olympic 50p have long been favourites amongst collectors, but did you know that only 1,125,500 Football 50ps entered circulation, making it the rarest Olympic 50p out there.
Considering Its low mintage figure and popular design explaining the hotly debated offside rule, it’s no wonder people are still willing to pay nearly 36 times its face value for one!
Undated 20p
The undated 20p remains one of the most sought-after coins, with some being sold on the secondary market for £64, a 23% increase since our last eBay tracker update! Although it’s not known exactly how many undated 20ps are in circulation, it’s often considered as the holy grail of change collecting.
Are you lucky enough to have an undated 20p in your collection?
Kew Gardens 50p
Released by The Royal Mint in 2009 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, the striking design of this 50p, by Christopher Le Brun RA, features the famous Chinese Pagoda at Kew, entwined by a decorative leafy climber.
In 2014, The Royal Mint revealed that only 210,000 Kew Gardens 50p coins had been struck, making it the scarcest UK coin in circulation. And nearly 10 years later, people are still willing to pay hefty sums to get their hands on one. The average secondary market value for a Kew Gardens 50p is currently around £148, just £10 less than our last update.
AA01 £5 and £10 Polymer Banknotes
Despite not increasing in value since our last update, the first batch of Polymer £5 and £10 banknotes are definitely worth looking out for.
Did you know, the very first note of each denomination printed was given to the Queen, and the second to Prince Phillip? So, you definitely won’t find those ones in circulation! But if you do spot a £5 or £10 note with a serial number starting with AA01, you could make a pretty penny on the secondary market.
One seller reported selling an AA01 £5 note on eBay for over £60,000 in 2017, however our eBay tracker reveals that you can currently get your hands on one for around £15 – which is still 3 times its face value!
Valuation Index
With the new Atlantic Salmon 50p having entered circulation in December, there are now 3 coin designs featuring King Charles III to look out for in your change – so make sure you keep your eyes peeled!
Have you found any of the King Charles III 50ps ‘in the wild’ yet? Let us know in the comments!
eBay Tracker FAQs
My coin isn’t on the eBay Tracker
The eBay Tracker follows the movements of the top 11 UK coins and banknotes, however if your coin doesn’t appear on the tracker you can use our 6 point guide to help determine the realistic value for your coin.
How does the eBay Tracker work?
The Change Checker eBay Tracker takes the last 9 sold prices on eBay and gives the median price achieved. By taking the median, rather than an average, we avoid skewing figures with excessively high or low prices.
Please note that the Change Checker eBay Tracker is only ever designed to be a guide as to prices achieved on eBay. Prices may vary depending on collector demand and the quality of the coin being sold. It does not provide any guarantee as to future values of coins.
Find out more about your coins
If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use!
