Rare Kew Gardens 50p coin could be worth £7,000 - here's how to spot it

James Constantinou is a leading expert in pre-loved designer goods and owner of Prestige Pawn

A rare gold version of the iconic Kew Gardens coin is valued at a whopping £7,000 - and you could be lucky enough to own one without even realising.

The silver 50 Pence Piece is a must-have for any coin collector, and can fetch hundreds of pounds in online auctions.

But it turns out there’s an even more sought-after version of the coin, which was released to mark the 250th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Gardens.

While most Kew Gardens coins are valued at around £250, the gold variant is worth a staggering £7,000.

James Constantinou, a leading expert in pre-loved designer goods and owner of Prestige Pawn, told the Mirror that the gold coin is a "proof" coin, meaning it has been designed specifically for collectors rather than for public use.

Their worth is therefore usually a lot higher than the value of the metal they’re made from.

It is widely reported that only 1,000 gold Kew Gardens proof coins were minted back in 2009, and only 629 were snapped up by the public.

Bullion By Post, a gold dealer based in Birmingham, advertises the proofs starting price as £6,106, although it currently has none in stock.

James said: "Of course, it would be amazing to find something like the George V coin or an 1839 Victoria gold proof pattern 5-pound coin which famously sold for £1 million in 2020, however you may be more likely to find something like a Kew Gardens 250th-anniversary coin.

"Whilst most are valued around the £250 mark, there is a rare gold variant that is valued around £7,000."

James also revealed some other valuable coins to look out for in your spare change.

He said: "You may also find a double-dated 1992-1993 coin which had an extremely low mintage of only 109,000 and is valued at about £60.

"Its tails were designed by Mary Milner Dickens and feature 12 chairs around a conference table representing the Council of Ministers at the European Economic Community.

"With the UK placed at the head of the table. It is called the dual date or double dated due to the two dates featured on the coin."

If you think you might have found a rare coin, you can email liam.gilliver@reachplc.com for a chance to share your story.