Unusual plant to spot on rare 50p that makes it worth up to £187 – do you have one in your change?

SPOTTING this unusual plant on a rare 50p coin could fetch you a hefty sum.

The commemorative Kew Gardens coin, which was minted in 2009, was created to mark 250 years since the botanical gardens opened in 1759.

Only 210,000 of these coins were created by the Royal Mint, making it one of the rarest pieces out there.

The front of the coin has an image of the late Queen Elizabeth II, with the engraver’s initials, Ian Rank-Broadley, below.

What makes it special is the reverse, which features a leafy vine wrapped around a Chinese pagoda.

It also has the date of the year it was made to commemorate the anniversary.

In the past, these coins have sold for up to £700 on eBay.

Recently, the coin has not sold for as much, but if you have one lying around, it can still fetch a hefty sum.

One buyer recently paid £187 for the Kew Gardens coin following a bid on eBay.

And earlier this week, another seller managed to flog the coin for £140 after 14 bids.

On the same day, another buyer paid £143 for the coin after a bidding war between 26 people.

However, it is important to remember that coins are only worth how much a bidder is willing to pay.

So, if you are keen to sell a coin, it is worth bearing in mind that you could end up receiving more or less than you initially hoped for.

It is important to remember that this 2009 Kew Gardens coin is uncirculated, meaning you would not receive it as change if you paid for something in a shop.

In 2019, The Royal Mint also released a second version of the coin.

Its reverse is identical to the original; the only difference is the date, which reads 2019.

These coins have been listed for up to £90 pounds on eBay but none have appeared to be sold in the last month.

How to spot rare coins and banknotes

Rare coins and notes hiding down the back of your sofa could sell for hundreds of pounds.

If you are lucky enough to find a rare £10 note you might be able to sell it for multiple times its face value.

You can spot rare notes by keeping an eye out for the serial numbers.

These numbers can be found on the side with the Monarch’s face, just under the value £10 in the corner of the note.

Also if you have a serial number on your note that is quite quirky you could cash in thousands.

For example, one seller bagged £3,600 after spotting a specific serial number relating to the year Jane Austen was born on one of their notes.

You can check if your notes are worth anything on eBay, just tick “completed and sold items” and filter by the highest value.

This will give you an idea of what people are willing to pay for some notes.

But bear in mind that yours is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.

This is also the case for coins, you can determine how rare your coin is by looking a the latest scarcity index.

The next step is to take a look at what has been recently sold on eBay.

Experts from Change Checker recommend checking “sold listings” to ensure the coin sold for the specified amount, rather than just being listed.