2009 Kew Gardens 50p
The 2009 Kew Gardens 50p is a circulating 50p with 210,000 made. Value band: collector premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2009
- Circulation mintage
- 210,000
- Value band
- Collector premium
- Designer
- Christopher Le Brun
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 2009 Kew Gardens 50p worth?
With 210,000 struck for circulation, the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p ranks 2nd lowest of the 76 circulating 50p coins we track. Collectors pay a collector premium even for worn examples. Sharp, uncirculated coins with no marks bring considerably more.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with no scratches or contact marks
- Original Royal Mint pack or presentation folder
- A genuine mint error, confirmed by an expert
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p rare?
- Yes, by the standards of 50p coins. With 210,000 struck for circulation, the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p ranks 2nd lowest of the 76 circulating 50p coins we track.
- How many 2009 Kew Gardens 50p coins were made?
- 210,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p?
- The design is credited to Christopher Le Brun.
- What is the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p made of?
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). It weighs 8.0 g and measures 27.3 mm, with a seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) shape.
- Is the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p was made
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, in south west London, trace their history to 1759, when Princess Augusta, mother of the future George III, set up a botanic garden on the estate. Kew grew into one of the world's leading centers of plant science, holding vast collections of living plants, seeds and dried specimens. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. The Chinese-style pagoda shown on the coin was built in 1762 to a design by William Chambers. It rises ten stories and remains one of Kew's best known landmarks.
The Royal Mint marked the garden's 250th anniversary in 2009 with a 50p designed by the painter Christopher Le Brun. Only about 210,000 were issued into circulation, far fewer than any other 50p in the modern size. For several years few people noticed. Once collecting 50ps from change took off in the following decade, the figure became famous and the coin earned its reputation as the hardest circulating 50p to find. It is now the coin most people mean when they ask whether they have a rare 50p.
How to recognize it
Kew's pagoda rises through the center of the reverse, its tiers narrowing toward the top, with a climbing vine curling around it. The tall, narrow pagoda fills most of the height of the coin. The dates 1759 and 2009 appear on either side and the word KEW sits at the base of the pagoda. Nothing else in the 50p series looks quite like it, so if you see a pagoda and a vine, check both dates are there. The obverse carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of the Queen. A genuine coin is 27.3 mm across, weighs 8 grams and has a plain edge. Christopher Le Brun, a painter, created the design.
The other side carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1998 to 2015.
2009 Kew Gardens 50p by the numbers
In mintage terms the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p ranks 2nd lowest of 76 circulating 50p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 1992 Single Market 50p (109,000); the next more common is the 2011 Olympic Football 50p (1.13 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1973 EEC Hands 50p with 89.8 million, about 428 times as many. The scarcest is the 1992 Single Market 50p with 109,000, 1.9 times fewer than this one.
It was the only circulating commemorative 50p dated 2009. The regular Royal Shield reverse was not struck for circulation that year, so this design was the only new 50p most people could find in change.
What to check on your 2009 Kew Gardens 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the Kew Gardens described above and carry the date 2009; similar designs from other years are a common mix-up.
- Weigh it if you can: a genuine 27.3 mm 50p weighs 8.0 g. Copies are often light, slightly soft in detail or the wrong color.
- Ignore painted or colored versions sold online as special editions. Color added after the coin left the Mint does not make it a Royal Mint issue and does not add collector value.
- Look at the surfaces under a bright light. Coins straight from a pack have unbroken luster; change-worn coins show scuffs on the high points of the portrait and design.
Kew Gardens is the coin everyone checks their change for. Its circulation figure of about 210,000 is the lowest of any 50p in the current size and genuine examples earn a clear collector premium even when worn. That fame also makes it a target for copies, so be wary of coins with mushy lettering, an odd color or the wrong weight. Real coins from change usually show light wear on the pagoda roofs; one with full original luster is scarcer still. Never clean it, because scrubbing leaves fine scratches that collectors avoid.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2009 |
| Circulation mintage | 210,000 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.0 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Christopher Le Brun |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Frequently asked questions
Why is the Kew Gardens 50p so rare?
Only about 210,000 were released into circulation in 2009, compared with millions for most commemorative 50ps. With so few spread across the whole country, the chance of one reaching your change is small, which is why it is the most wanted circulating 50p.
How can I tell if my Kew Gardens 50p is real?
Genuine coins are cupronickel, weigh 8 grams, measure 27.3 mm and don't stick to a magnet. The pagoda, vine, KEW and both dates should be sharp. If the detail looks soft or the edges are rough, get a second opinion before buying.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.