A 50p coin released into circulation in 2009 has recently sold for £175 on eBay, after 50 bids were made for the heptagon shaped coin.
Only 210,000 coins with the distinctive Kew Gardens design were minted during its original release, featuring the famous Chinese Pagoda at the Royal Botanic Garden on the tails side.
However, before you start celebrating, the coin was re-minted in 2019 as part of a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 50p. A much higher number of these were produced, so the 2019 version is far less valuable.
The Kew Gardens coin is by far the rarest 50p in circulation with its closest challenger, the 2011 Olympic Wrestling coin which was minted 1,129,500 times - over 900,000 that of the Kew 50p.
Which coins are worth the most
As there are an estimated 21 billion coins in UK circulation today, some of them can fetch big money if you put up for auction. Coin fans or numismatists, are some of the world's most dedicated and knowledgeable collectors able to spot a small fortune in a bag of change.
The Royal Mint manufactures millions of coins a day and has strict quality measures in place. However, mistakes still happen and therefore creates a lucrative market for these scarce coins. Meanwhile, some coins are purposefully minted in small numbers for commemorative reasons.
2p coin sold for £1,700
The most rare copper coins still in circulation today are from a batch minted in 1983. The coin features the words "new pence" on the front instead of "two pence". New pence was used from 1971 to help people adjust to decimalisation, but ended in 1982. It has previously been sold for £1,700 on eBay according to WalesOnline.
£2 coin worth more than £1,000
Two pound coins are made from two metals - silver cupro-nickel disc in the centre, surrounded by a nickel-brass ring on the outside.
However, in 2017 a collector discovered the £2 Standing on the Shoulders of Giants coin was made entirely of nickel-brass.
Over 10 million of these coins were minted, but only a handful made solely from nickel-brass. Experts estimated the coin to be worth around £1,000.
Olympics coin collection worth around £100
When London hosted the Olympics a decade ago in 2012, the Royal Mint produced themed 50p coins to mark the occasion. There were 29 to collect and a complete collection is reportedly worth around £100. The football coin alone is said to be sellable £15.
Do I have a rare coin?
If you think you may have a rare coin, you can visit the Royal Mint website, as they have information on every coin they have ever produced. They also offer an authentication service which can verify if your coin is genuine.
The Change Checker scarcity index can also help you determine if a coin is rare or collectible. The higher up a coin comes in the index, the more likely it is someone will be willing to pay good money for it.
