The famous Kew Gardens 50p remains the most coveted coin in circulation, with a mintage of just 210,000 (Image: PA) Read More Related Articles 'Rare' 50p coin sells for £200 on eBay - and there. The Royal Mint has reissued the Kew Gardens 50p in a 2019 edition as part of a Brilliant Uncirculated set. 2019 Kew Gardens 50p BU Coin Pack The set is still available direct from The Royal Mint for £45 + P&P Buy It Now direct from The Royal Mint.

Only 210,000 Kew Gardens 50p pieces were produced in 2009. This makes them one of the most sought after 50p pieces and can fetch over 100 times their face value on ebay.

2009 Kew Gardens 50p Worth

There are a number of ways to identify fake Kew Garden 50p pieces and here is just one of them.

Firstly here is a photo of my own Kew Gardens 50p. I was fortunate enough to pick this up in my change back in 2013 (and that is another story) and I hope I can show you one of the ways to identify that it is not a fake.

Now, here is, what I believe to be a picture of a fake or copy Kew Gardens 50p. Can you see the difference at the bottom?

At the bottom, to both the left and the right, are two diagonal lines like this “//Kew”

These don’t exist on my version, so be very very careful when looking at Kew Garden 50p pieces that you pick up a genuine coin!

The rarer the coin the more money it is worth, though the value also depends on its condition

As the UK’s decimalisation anniversary approaches, The Royal Mint has revealed its top 10 rarest 50 pence coins, and how much they could be worth.

The UK moved to ‘new money’ pounds and pence, from ‘old money’ shillings and pence, almost 50 years ago, with the anniversary approaching on 15 February 2021.

Since then, over 70 variations of the 50p coin have been circulating and several rare designs have been distributed.

Here, we look at the rarest 50p coins and how many of each have been made - could the spare change in your purse be worth more than you thought?

What makes a coin valuable?

The 50 pence piece has become the most valued and collected coin in the UK, with many collectable designs appearing on its heptagonal canvas.

Its 27.5mm diameter makes it the largest of any British coin, and allows space for decorative pictures. It has often been used to celebrate big events over the past 50 years of British history.

The rarest coins tend to be of the greatest value, with the mintage (number of coins with each design made) being the fundamental attraction for collectors.

Along with the design, other aspects of the coin which increase value are the condition of the coin and whether it has an error in its design.

The way in which it is sold can also determine the coin’s value - while some coin collectors will bid vast amounts of money on ebay or at auction, others opt for more robust valuations by selling via a coin dealer.

What are the rarest 50p coins in circulation?

The Royal Mint has revealed the most valuable 50p coin, ahead of the 1971 decimalisation’s golden anniversary.

The rarest is the Kew’s Garden 50p, which was designed to mark the 250th anniversary of the gardens in 2009. Only 210,000 coins were ever minted with this design.

The Kew Gardens 50p sells for £156.25 on average, but one seller received over £700 for one when they sold it on ebay.

The other rarest coins stem predominantly from the 2011 Olympics, with the wrestling, football and judo coins among the most valuable. Only 1.1million of each of these coins were produced.

Flopsy bunny and Peter Rabbit designs which were produced in 2018 are also highly valuable.

These coins - 1.4 million of which were minted - depict the characters from Beatrix Potter’s novels and celebrate the life of the English writer and these sell for around £5.

In 2019, 500 million coins were produced, with three new 50p designs.

These included one of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, Paddington Bear at St Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London.

Top 10 most valuable 50p coins

Here is a list of the top 10 most valuable coins, when they were made and how many were minted:

Kew Gardens 50p For Sale

Kew Gardens (2009), 210,000

Olympic Wrestling (2011), 1,129,500

Olympic Football (2011), 1,161,500

Olympic Judo (2011), 1,161,500

Olympic Triathlon (2011), 1,163,500

Peter Rabbit (2018), 1,400,000

Flopsy Bunny (2018), 1,400,000

Olympic Tennis (2011), 1,454,000

Rare 50 Pence Coins

Olympic Goalball (2011), 1,615,500

Kew Gardens 50p Worth

Kew Gardens 50p Value

Olympic Shooting (2011), 1,656,500