How much is the Kew Gardens 50p Worth?

It is highly sought after by coin collectors but with almost all the 210,000 made in private hands, the chances of coming across one in your change are slim.

Because of these points, many people believe the Kew Gardens 50p to be the rarest 50p of all time. How much is it worth? And is it really the rarest? And how do you spot a fake one?

Kew Gardens

Nestled on the outskirts of Richmond, Kew Gardens is one of the largest and most diverse botanical collections in the world. It is run by UNESCO and has over 50,000 living plants across the heritage site.

Laying across 330 acres, Kew Garden’s mission is to understand and protect plans and fungi, for the wellbeing of people and the future of all life on Earth.

Other places on the site are the Carbon Garden, the Princess of Wales Conservatory and the famous Chinese Pagoda.

Kew Gardens 50p

The Royal Mint released this 50p in 2009, to celebrate 250 years of Kew Gardens. The reverse was designed by Christopher Le Brun RA; it features the Chinese Pagoda at Kew. Featuring leaves circling and climbing up the tower with the word Kew appearing at the bottom of the tower. There is no writing surrounding the image except the dates 1759 and 2009.

The 50p coin is the scarcest 50p in circulation, this is because when it was originally released demand for the 50p denomination was not high.

The image of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse was designed by Ian Rank-Broadley. This was the fourth definitive portrait of the Queen.

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How much is the Kew Gardens 50p worth?

Being the most sought after 50p, you can guess that the value now will be higher than face value. For a good condition genuine 50p, the value varies between £100-£140. With the Brilliant Uncirculated version being valued at £200.

You can currently buy a Kew Gardens 50p at the Britannia Company for £250.

The most sought-after version is struck in gold with only around 600 versions minted by The Royal Mint. In 2024, a gold proof Kew Gardens 50p sold for £7,000 after being estimated to fetch between £5,000 and £6,000.

If only in 2009 we knew what this 50p would be worth now!!

How to spot a fake Kew Gardens 50p

The level of attention and love this coin gets comes with its downfall. Some unlucky people may end up getting scammed by a fake version of the 50p. Don’t worry, there are ways to tell if it is fake though.

If there is a frosted finish on the Pagoda and years, if the designers’ initials are bigger than other coins and if the Queen’s neckline doesn’t align with the P in pence, then you have unfortunately fallen victim to a fake coin. They also are often lighter than the normal 50p and have a high relief design. So, keep your eye out and make sure you don’t fall victim to the scam!

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Kew Gardens 2019

A second version of the 50p was released in 2019. The Royal Mint released it as a part of the Celebrating 50 years of the 50p British Culture set.

The image of Queen Elizabeth II on this one was designed by Jody Clark. This was the fifth and final definitive portrait of the Queen and featured on all coins from 2015 to 2022. It also bears the 2019 mintage date, but the design remains the same loved image. While this issue gives collectors a chance to own a Kew Gardens 50p, it takes nothing away from the original circulating coin for anyone lucky enough to own one.

The 2019 Kew Gardens 50p had a mintage of 84,681 and in the set was originally sold for £4.50. In new condition it could now be worth £76.

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