2009 Kew Gardens 50p

Specifications

Denomination: 50 Pence
Series: Circulating commemorative
Designer: Ian Rank-Broadley (obverse); Christopher Le Brun (reverse)
Years of issue: 2009
Composition: 75% Copper, 25% Nickel
Weight: 8 g
Diameter: 27.3 mm
Edge: Plain
KM: 1114
Mintage: 210000
Key mintages: 210,000 circulation strikes (Royal Mint, via The Gazette). Also 128,364 BU (Change Checker); silver proof 3,663 (Spink, via Britannia Coin Company) or 7,575 (Chards); piedfort 2,967; gold proof 629 (Chards).

Melt value: $0.08copper $0.44/ozt · prices as of Sep 16, 2026

AI-generated illustration — not a photograph of a genuine coin.

210,000 circulation strikes — Royal Mint confirms it as one of its rarest 50ps; the Royal Botanic Gardens' 250th anniversary key date of 2009.

History

Issued in 2009 to mark 250 years since the opening of Kew Gardens in 1759 (The Gazette; NGC, accessed 2026-09-16).
Just over 210,000 circulation coins were produced; the Royal Mint lists the anniversary Kew Gardens coin as one of its rarest and most valuable 50ps (The Gazette, accessed 2026-09-16).
The 210,000 circulating pieces were originally only the start of a much bigger planned order — the order was cut after 26,247,000 50ps entered circulation the previous year (Change Checker, accessed 2026-09-16).
Reverse shows the Chinese Pagoda with a leafy vine twining around the tower, anniversary dates 1759 and 2009 either side, and ‘Kew’ at the base; obverse is Ian Rank-Broadley’s fourth portrait of Elizabeth II (Britannia Coin Company; Chards, accessed 2026-09-16).
Re-issued in 2019 for the 50th anniversary of the 50p in base proof, silver proof and gold proof (not for circulation), bearing a different effigy and the 2019 date — the reissue takes nothing away from the original 2009 circulating coin (Change Checker; Royal Mint via Daily Express, accessed 2026-09-16).

The 210,000 figure is circulation strikes only: a further 128,364 Brilliant Uncirculated pieces were minted, so the rarity lies in the circulating form (Change Checker, accessed 2026-09-16).
Collector formats also exist: silver proof (Spink reports 3,663 issued, per Britannia Coin Company; Chards lists 7,575 silver), piedfort (2,967) and gold proof (629) (Chards; Britannia Coin Company, accessed 2026-09-16).
The standard 2009 Britannia-reverse 50p is a common coin — the Kew Gardens design is the low-mintage key date of 2009 (NGC, accessed 2026-09-16).
Until recently the rarest circulating 50p; the Royal Mint now confirms the Charles III Atlantic Salmon 50p (200,000 released) is rarer (The Gazette, accessed 2026-09-16).

Heavily counterfeited — genuine markers per Change Checker: no frosted finish on the pagoda/years, normal (not high) relief, and a pagoda roof that is not extra-pointy (Change Checker, accessed 2026-09-16).
On the obverse, the Queen’s neckline should point at the ‘P’ in ‘PENCE’ — fakes point at the ‘E’ or between the letters; fakes also show oversized IRB initials and a more rounded, less detailed portrait (Daily Express citing Change Checker, accessed 2026-09-16).
A genuine coin weighs 8.00 g — fakes are often lighter; the two fine lines flanking the word ‘Kew’ DO appear on genuine BU/proof strikes and the 2019 reissue, so they are not automatic proof of a fake (Change Checker, accessed 2026-09-16).
Value factors: Change Checker’s eBay Tracker averages £138 sold, with press-recorded sales of £155–£203; BU examples run £200–280 vs £100–180 circulated (Change Checker; MyCoinage, accessed 2026-09-16).