How much is the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p worth and how rare is it?

From our experience, the famous 2009 Kew Gardens 50p remains the most coveted coin currently in circulation. In fact, due to the low mintage of just 210,000, it is the rarest coin that can still be found in your change today, after the Royal Mint withdrew the dual dated 1992 / 1993 EC 50p in 1997. (that had a mintage of just 109,000). The demand for the 50p denomination at the time of release was low and this explains the low mintage of this particular design.

So obviously it is rare, but how much is it worth?

Well that depends. As always, it comes down to the coin's condition and how scarce it is. The better the condition, the more valuable the coin, and this is true, in the main, for all coins. That said, a poor condition Kew Gardens 50p coin could still be worth around £160 - £180. In contrast, a circulated in great condition could fetch anything from £200 - £250 and uncirculated and brilliant uncirculated, the value would be much more.

The 50 pence piece is a favourite with coin collectors and is the most collected coin today. The heptagonal shaped coin has many collectible designs on the reverse and one of the reasons why people enjoy to collect them.

The Kew Gardens 50p was designed to mark the 250th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Gardens in 2009. The gardens date back to the early 18th century as a royal palace which is now a globally renowned scientific institution for plant and fungal research. 

The Design of the coin

The reverse of the coin is designed by British artist Christopher Le Brun RA with the most recognisable part of the design being the Chinese Pagoda building from the world famous botanical garden. The pagoda building is encircled with a decorative leafy climber all the way to the top. Either side of the tower are the dates 1759 on the left, which is the date of opening and on the right the 2009 date which is the year of the 250th anniversary.  

The iconic coin issued by The Royal Mint has an obverse that bears the fourth definitive portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. It is designed by famous sculptor, Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS, which was first introduced on UK coins back in 1998. The

The inscription reads ELIZABETH · II D · G REG · F · D FIFTY PENCE. 

Specifications:

Were there other versions of this coin?

Yes the coin was issued in five versions. There were 629 Gold Proof editions, 2,967 Silver Piedforts, 7,575 Silver proof coins, 128,364 brilliant uncirculated coins and of course the 210,000 that entered general circulation.

It is fair to say the Kew Gardens 50p is one of the most iconic and loved 50p coins out there and the Royal Mint chose to reissue the fifty pence coin in 2019 as part of their commemorative 'Celebrating 50 Years of the 50p 2019 British Culture Set'

Note however, that the 2019 version bears a different effigy of Her Majesty The Queen than the original 2009 version and features the 2019 mintage date.

How can you tell if your Kew Gardens fifty pence coin is genuine?

With anything of value, it is susceptible to fraudsters wanting to fake or copy the design in order to sell it as genuine.

Here are a few things to look out for:

• This coin was issued in 2009, so the circulated version of the coin should have a large amount of wear and tear, rather than be pristine and shiny (unless it is an uncirculated version). 
• The tip of the roof on the pagoda building should not be too pointy - the original is slighty less pointy and goes 'into' the top of the coin
• Look out for lines at the side of the word 'Kew' at the base of the coin. The image we have used in this article is the circulated version which does not have the lines, uncirculated version of the coin will have these.
• The detail of the design should be detailed and not frosted or contain a 'blobby' appearance.
• On the obverse (heads side) the Queen's neckline should point directly towards the 'P' in the words 'FIFTY PENCE' at the base of the coin.
• The initials IRB of the obverse designer Ian Rank-Broadley's should be present under the Queen's neck and not overly large or have the word 'copy' next to them.
• Fake coins have a high relief on the edge / rim of the coin, so look to see if the coin seems to be sunk into the metal
• The coin should weigh 8.00g (give or take a little bit for wear and tear deterioration).
• When you look at very closely at the Queen's eye, it should appear glass like and have a sort of 3D appearance.

So there are a lot of tests that can be done to protect yourself from buying a fake.

Want to add a genuine 2009 Kew Gardens 50p coin to your collection? Click here