Rare coin: 50p sells for staggering £234 on eBay after bidding war breaks out

Silver coins

A rare 50p has been sold for £234 after a bidding war broke out

PA
Georgina Cutler

By Georgina Cutler


Published: 31/03/2023

- 17:10

The rare coin had a starting price of just 99p

A rare 50p has been sold for £234 - 468 times its face value - after a bidding war broke out on secondhand sales website eBay.

The special coin was released in 2009 to mark 250 years since Kew Gardens opened in 1759 and the Royal Mint estimates around 210,000 were made.


The coin features the Chinese Pagoda at the Royal Botanic Garden on the tails side and the Queen's face on the other.

It was listed on eBay on March 5 at the starting price of 99p but surged after a bidding war began.

A 50p coin

The special coin was released in 2009 to mark 250 years since Kew Gardens opened

Royal Mint

The price rocketed into the hundreds after 11 different bidders battled to buy the coin.

The coin surpassed the £100 mark the day after the bidding opened on March 6 and eventually went up to its final price of £234.00 on March 12 after 26 bids.

On top of the £234, the buyer also had to pay £7.65 for "Express Delivery" so overall the buyer paid £241.65 for the 50p coin.

The "Express Delivery" was a safety net for the buyer as the coin was shipped "fully insured" through Royal Mails Next Day Delivery.

The buyer, who considers themselves an avid coin collector, said the 50p was in "excellent condition" and was "very sought after" for a coin collector.

They seller noted that the coin had been a part of his own private collection for several years.

Currently there a number of 50p coins for sale on eBay with some listings between £160 to £230.

Most of the coins have up to 40 watchers on the listing, with one seller who has optimistically set their starting bid at £2,000.

Coins

Currently there a number of 50p coins for sale on eBay with some listings between £160 to £230

PA

Those hoping to find the rare coin are warned about another coin which is very similar but does not fetch as much.

The Royal Mint reissued another batch of the Kew Gardens coins in 2019 to celebrate 50 years of the 50p.

This coin will not give a seller the same three-figure payout but it could go for between £70 and £80 on eBay with the right buyer.

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