Kew Gardens 50p

Introducing the Kew Gardens 50p Coin

Opened in 1759, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew has amassed the most diverse collection of botanical specimens in the world. Their mission has been to be the main worldwide resource of plant and fungal knowledge so that the world can understand how important these species are to everyone. To celebrate the continuous pursuit in their mission for 250 years, the Royal Mint released this limited edition 50p. Since its release in 2009, it’s become a very sought after item for coin collectors because of its scarcity. 

2009 Kew Gardens 50p

The Kew Gardens 50p features an image of the garden’s Chinese Pagoda building, first erected in 1762 and designed by Sir William Chambers. Circling the building is a leafy vine, a nod to the organisation’s botanical work. The years 1759 and 2009 are on the left and right upper edges of the design to note the 250^th anniversary. The Kew Gardens 50p reverse design is by Christopher Le Brun RA. The obverse design is of the 2009 portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS. 

(Caption: Chinese Pagoda building at Kew Gardens)

(Credit: By Rafa Esteve – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link)

How Much is the Kew Gardens 50p Worth?

The 2009 Kew Gardens 50p is one of the hardest to find coins in British currency due to its extremely low mintage of 210,000 and the press surrounding its scarcity. Most 50p coins released have a mintage in the millions. The current asking price for a circulated coin is around £100. On eBay in 2019, the price for a circulated coin was about £130 and goes up very quickly depending on the condition of it. The condition of Chancery Collection’s Kew Garden 50p coins are AUNC which means that at least 95% luster of the design remains. Our coins have been professionally graded.

Due to its scarcity, there are fake Kew Gardens 50p coins as well. To learn how to spot a real from a fake, read Change Checker’s guide. 

There are other versions of the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p as well, but none of them are any easier to find. The Brilliant Uncirculated version was limited to just a mintage of about 130,000 while the Silver Proof had only about 7,500 released. The Silver Proof Piedfort’s mintage is even lower, about 3,000 released. The Gold Proof Piedfort is the hardest version to find of this already rare 50p – only 40 were minted! 

Kew Gardens’ Return in 2019

Due to its immense popularity, the Royal Mint re-issued the Kew Gardens 50p in 2019 as a non-circulating coin. It’s found only in a special set that commemorates the 50^th anniversary of the 50p, first released in 1969. Two special sets are to be launched for this occasion. The Kew Gardens set includes other beloved previously released 50p, like the Be Prepared 50p, and the 1969 original design of the 50p by Christopher Ironside. 

This doesn’t mean that it will be any easier to find than the original coin through. The mintage of the special Proof set is just 3500! There were also about 2000 Silver Proof sets and 75 Gold Sets released. Not surprisingly, when the Proof set was made available to the public on 14 January, it sold out in only a few hours.