Ultra-rare Kew Gardens 50p coin up for auction – and already has a £4k bid!
Many British people know that one of the rarest coins in existence is the much-famed Kew Gardens 50p.
With only 210,000 coins minted in 2009, these coins can sell for over £150 and as such the majority have been withdrawn from circulation and into the hands of collectors.
However, there is a lesser known, rarer Kew Gardens 50p – and one is currently being sold by the Royal Mint in a live online auction of 343 coins.
Only 629 gold-proof versions of the Kew Gardens 50p coin have been purchased by the public – and the version up for auction has already attracted £4,000 bids. The Mint estimates the proceeds will be between £5,000 and £6,000.
Under the hammer: A gold proof version of the 50p Kew Gardens coin, one of the most sought-after coins, is expected to fetch £6,000 at auction
There is also a one-kilo Queen’s Beasts gold coin, which could fetch as much as £90,000, which is expected to be the most expensive lot.
The auction will feature coins submitted by the public that have been authenticated and valued by the Mint’s team of numismatic experts.
Bidding is possible until December 3 the auction takes place online on the Royal Mint’s website.
Occasionally there are seller fees, but this happens on a case-by-case basis, the Royal Mint says. Here are some of the rarest and most valuable coins up for grabs at auction.
2009 Kew Gardens 50p gold proof
The Kew Gardens 50p is one of the most coveted coins due to its scarcity in circulation and as a commemorative coin.
It ranks number one in Change Checker’s 50p scarcity index. But this gold version is expected to fetch between £5,000 and £6,000.
To show how quickly the value of these gold proof coins has grown, one sold at a similar auction five years ago for £800.
The obverse features a design by Christopher Le Brun in honor of the Royal Botanical Gardena, depicting the pagoda at Kew with a decorative vine winding in and around the tower and with the years ‘1759’ and 2002′ on either side of the word ‘Kew’. ‘.
This coin was first released in 2009 to celebrate 250 years of the iconic West London landmark. It is sold at auction in its original issue box.
Only 210,000 of the circulating 50p were released into circulation and some are known to sell for between £150 and £200.
The 50p was then re-released in a second batch in 2019. These are less valuable but still sell for £80.
A total of 1,000 Kew Garden gold proof 50p coins were minted in 2009 – and only 629 were picked up by the public.
The Queen’s Beasts one kilo gold proof is expected to fetch £80,000 to £90,000 at Royal Mint auction
Queen’s Beasts one kilo gold proof
The Queen’s Beasts coin pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and features the 10 beasts side by side in one design.
The design was inspired by the ten stone statues that lined the Queen’s route to Westminster Abbey during her coronation in 1953.
Only 16 of these coins were made by the Royal Mint and the coin being auctioned is estimated to fetch £80,000 to £90,000.
The starting bid for this coin at the Royal Mint’s online auction is £69,000.
Platinum Jubilee one kilo gold proof
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee 1 kilo gold proof coin is estimated to fetch between £60,000 and £70,000.
The obverse of the coin features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark. The reverse features symbols of the four nations and decorative scrolls surrounding Her Majesty’s crowned code in the centre.
The brilliant, uncirculated 2019 five sovereign piece will sell at auction for £2,000 to £3,000
Brilliant uncirculated five sovereign piece from 2019
This modest 2019 five-sovereign piece, struck to the Brilliant Uncirculated standard with a matte finish, is estimated to fetch £2,000 to £3,000.
The obverse features Jody Clark’s definitive coin portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
And the reverse features Benedetto Pistrucci’s image of Saint George on horseback armed with a sword attacking the dragon, a broken spear on the ground and the date below, with the designer’s last name fully displayed.
The brilliant, uncirculated coin is sold in its original issue box.
The 2012 £2 Florence Nightingale gold proof commemorates Florence Nightingale’s centenary and is estimated to fetch between £900 and £1,000 at auction
2010 £2 Florence Nightingale gold proof
The 2010 £2 Florence Nightingale coin is on Change Checker’s £2 scarcity index – and the gold-proof version will sell for £900 to £1,100 at the Royal Mint’s auction.
The coin commemorates the centenary of Florence Nightingale’s death and the tenth anniversary of the publication of Notes on Nursing.
The reverse features a design by Gordon Summers showing hands taking a patient’s pulse, surrounded by the inscription ‘Florence Nightingale’ – 1910.
It is sold in the original issue box.
Lucy Mackenzie, director of collector services, said: ‘This month we are staging our largest auction to date, offering collectors around the world the chance to own a piece of British history, authenticated by the original maker of British coins.’
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on it, we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow a commercial relationship to compromise our editorial independence.