Rare Royal Mint 50p coin sells for more than 420 times face value on eBay

A rare 2009 Royal Mint 50p coin commemorating the Kew Gardens attraction has sold on eBay for £221.36, more than 420 times its 50p face value. The listing attracted 19 bids and the winning total included a £9.55 buyer protection fee, with the auction closing on November 4. Released in 2009 to mark the 250th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, the coin has a seven-sided shape and a Great Pagoda design on the reverse, with Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. The Royal Mint says it has a circulating mintage of 210,000 and is the second-rarest 50p in circulation by mintage after the 2023 Atlantic Salmon.