One of the rarest coins in circulation, according to the Royal Mint, has just sold on eBay for £195. 

The Kew Gardens 2009 50 pence piece has been labelled by the Royal Mint as the rarest coin in circulation due to there only being a few hundred thousand minted. 

The rare coin features a design celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Botanical Garden, depicting the pagoda at Kew with a decorative leafy climber twining in and around the tower.

Only 210,000 were minted back in 2009, along with 629 Kew Garden gold-proof 50p coins.

Ilford Recorder: Only 210,000 Kew Garden 50p coins were minted back in 2009.Only 210,000 Kew Garden 50p coins were minted back in 2009. (Image: PA)

The Royal Mint’s director of UK currency Mark Loveridge, talking back in 2021 during the 50th anniversary of decimalisation, said: “Coin collecting remains as popular as ever, and we were delighted to release a number of special designs into circulation in 2019.

“The Kew Gardens (50p) remains the most coveted coin, with a mintage of just 210,000, but it’s always exciting to find a special design in your change.”

The Royal Mint revealed the rarest 50p coins in circulation, ahead of the 50th anniversary of decimalisation back in 2021 with the Kew Garden coin being on top if the list.

To give you an idea of just how few of these rare Kew Garden coins were made, the second rarest coin in circulation on the list, a wrestling coin from the 2012 London Olympics, had 1,129,500 minted (nearly six times the amount).

Top 10 rarest and most valuable 50p coins, according to Royal Mint

Here is a list of the top 10 rarest and most valuable 50p coins, when they were made and how many were minted, according to the Royal Mint:

  1. Kew Gardens (2009), 210,000
  2. Olympic Wrestling (2011), 1,129,500
  3. Olympic Football (2011), 1,161,500
  4. Olympic Judo (2011), 1,161,500
  5. Olympic Triathlon (2011), 1,163,500
  6. Peter Rabbit (2018), 1,400,000
  7. Flopsy Bunny (2018), 1,400,000
  8. Olympic Tennis (2011), 1,454,000
  9. Olympic Goalball (2011), 1,615,500
  10. Olympic Shooting (2011), 1,656,500

Ilford Recorder: See the rarest 50p coins in circulation according to the Royal Mint - do you have any?See the rarest 50p coins in circulation according to the Royal Mint - do you have any? (Image: PA/Royal Mint)

Rare Kew Gardens 50p coin sells for £195

Due to the rarity of the coin, they are fetching a high price on sites such as eBay.

One of the rare Kew Garden 50p circulated coins sold for £195 on eBay on Saturday (November 25), attracting 37 bids. 

Other copies of the rare 50p coin have sold on eBay recently for between £150 and £160. 

Some of the uncirculated versions of the coin have fetched over £300 with one selling on Sunday (November 26) for £310.01 (attracting 10 bids).

So it may be worth checking your wallet, purse or coin collection because you could be sitting on a small fortune.