A rare Kew Gardens 50p has sold for £215 on eBay after attracting dozens of bids from coin collectors.
The valuable piece features the famous Chinese Pagoda from the gardens being intertwined by a leafy climber.
It was released in 2009 to mark 250 years since Kew Gardens opened in 1759, and there are only 210,000 in circulation - substantially less than other coins, where millions can be minted.
It is this low circulation that makes the Kew Gardens coin valuable to collectors and sees it often top lists of the rarest 50 pence pieces.
This particular Kew Gardens 50p sold for £215 on eBay, with free delivery, on April 29 after attracting 31 bids following a seven-day auction.
Change checking website Coin Hunter says the mid-point price for a Kew Gardens 50p is £156.25.
It puts the average price range for one being sold to between £150.89 and £161.50.
However, we’ve seen examples where they’ve fetched as much as £200 before - around 400 times its face value - so it isn’t impossible for them to sell at this price.
Do you have a rare coin in your collection? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk
If you find a Kew Gardens 50p in your change, you should check the date on it first.
The Royal Mint reissued a batch of the coins in 2019 as part of a collection to celebrate 50 years of the 50p - and these don’t tend to fetch as much on eBay.
The 2019 version typically sells for between £70 and £80 on the auction site.
If you’re thinking about buying a rare coin on eBay, you should always be wary of fakes doing the rounds - this includes the Kew Gardens.
Change Checker says there are a few warning signs you should watch out for. The first is a very frosted design or high relief which can sometimes be found on fake coins.
With the Kew Gardens 50p, you also want to check for a sharp "pointy" roof on the top of the pagoda.
There also shouldn't be lines on either side of the word "Kew" at the bottom of the coin. These lines can indicate a fake coin, however, they are also visible on Proof and Brilliant Uncirculated versions as well.
On the back of the coin, the Queen’s neck should be pointing to "P" in the word "pence".
Websites and Facebook groups from change experts like Coin Hunter can help you work out if a coin is the real deal or not, and The Fake Pound Coin Database has listed several examples to show you what you should be aware of.
You can also get coins verified by the Royal Mint.
We've got a guide on the rarest error coins that could be worth up to £3,100.
Another coin to watch out for is this bizarre 20p with no date on - it can fetch up to £60 on eBay.
