Rare 50p coin sells for £157 and you could have one in your change

The 50p coin sparked a bidding war on eBay and was eventually sold for £157

A 50p coin has sold for a huge £157 after sparking something of a bidding war on eBay.

Many coins are sought after by collectors and this one in particular is one of the UK's rarest. Some coins can be worth significantly more than their face value, and this one has an estimated value of around £145 - meaning this lucky seller made some extra profit.

The Royal Mint is thought to have produced around 210,000 of these coins, which were launched in 2009 to mark the 250th anniversary of Kew Gardens' opening.

The piece features the iconic Chinese Pagoda from the gardens on one side and the late Queen's portrait on the other. The coin was listed on eBay as "2009 Kew Gardens 50p Fifty Pence Genuine RARE" and had a starting price of £4.99.

However, a 21-way bidding war saw the price jump up and up, before the coin eventually sold for £157. The buyer must also pay £2.99 for Royal Mail Tracked 48 hour delivery.

Experts believe there are still hundreds of thousands of Kew Gardens 50p coins in circulation, so there could well be one lurking in your change. If you do find one, the first thing you should do is check the date.

This is because the Royal Mint reissued a batch of the coins in 2019 to celebrate 50 years of the 50p, and this version doesn't tend to sell for as much. However, these items have been known to fetch around £70 or £80 on eBay, so it could still be well worth listing it online.