The ‘extremely rare’ 50p selling for £175 on eBay - with thousands still out there

One of the rarest 50p coins in the UK has sold for £175 on eBay - and there are still 210,000 of them circulating in the UK. The Kew Gardens 50p features the famous Chinese Pagoda from the London park being intertwined by a leafy climber. The most valuable version of the 50p was released in 2009 to mark 250 years since Kew Gardens opened in 1759. It is its low circulation that makes the 2009 Kew Gardens coin so valuable to collectors - and it often tops lists of the rarest 50 pence pieces. How much do the coins sell for? One of the coins recently sold for £175 on eBay, Lincolnshire Live reports. This is 350 times more than its face value. Around 50 bids were made on the coin before it was finally sold. It’s always worth checking your change for some of the rarest coins in circulation across the UK. However, finding a Kew Gardens 50p coin doesn’t necessarily mean you’re about to make a fortune. A re-circulated version of the iconic coin was minted in 2019, meaning it is considerably less valuable to collectors. The 2019 version typically sells for between £70 and £80 . The 2009 Kew Gardens 50p piece normally sells for between £150.89 and £161.50, according to Coin Hunt. Meanwhile The Mirror has spotted the 50p selling for as much as £215 on eBay. How to weed out the fake coins and spot the valuable ones If you’re thinking about buying a rare coin on eBay, you should always be wary of the fake versions. Change Checker has outlined the warning signs that you need to look 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. 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. A version of this article originally appeared on NationalWorld.com