Rare 50p coin sells for £188 on eBay - and you could have one in your spare change

Carrying spare change in your pocket for many may be considered a tad old-fashioned, but you could potentially be holding onto something quite valuable.

An eBay seller has made a huge profit after selling a rare 50p coin for a whopping £188.

The coin, which was released in 2009 to mark 250 years since Kew Gardens opened in 1759, features the Chinese Pagoda at the Royal Botanic Garden on the tail side. Only a few hundred thousand coins were released into circulation, making it one of the rarest 50p coins in existence.

The seller, from the UK, listed the coin on eBay on August 25 with a starting price of £50. The first bid came in only a few hours later and over the next 24 hours, 13 bids were placed, with the winning bid reaching £118.01. The winning buyer also paid £3.99 for delivery, so overall it came to £122.

The Kew Gardens 50p coin is easily identifiable by the pagoda on the tail side of the coin

The coin in question was the Kew Gardens 50p coin, which was released in 2009

The coin was released in 2009 to mark 250 years since Kew Gardens opened

The coin features the Chinese Pagoda at the Royal Botanic Garden on the tail side

Only a few hundred thousand coins were released into circulation

The Royal Mint previously described the coin as the rarest and most sought-after 50p coins in circulation. It's estimated that between 210,000 and 300,000 Kew Gardens 50p coins were minted overall.

The description for the 50p coin confirmed that it was a 'circulated' coin so the seller potentially could have come across it in their spare change.

The seller clearly knew this coin was special as the starting price was listed on August 25 with a starting price of £50.

The first bid came in only a few hours later and over the next 24 hours, 13 bids were placed, with the winning bid reaching £118.01.

The winning buyer also paid £3.99 for delivery, so overall it came to £122.

This case is a reminder that it's always important to check your change as you never know what might find its way in there.

If you find yourself in possession of a rare coin you may want to follow others and sell it.

However, selling a coin on eBay is never guaranteed and a coin is only ever worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

If you are a collector, then you should also keep in mind that fake coins can appear online too, so always be wary before handing over any cash.

Websites and Facebook groups from change experts like Coin Hunter can help you work out if a coin is the real deal or not. You can also get coins verified by the Royal Mint.

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