Your stash of 50p coins may say 50p, but they could actually be worth far more than face value, according to a Royal Mint employee.

That's because there are hoards of unique 50ps that are considered rare, because of how many were minted. And they could bag you hundreds of pounds.

Specfically, the coins that could win you a small fortune are a range of Kew Gardens Chinese pagoda coins. The coins were brought out in 2009 with the unique pagoda design on them, put together byPresident of the Royal Academy Christopher Le Brun.

Although it looks great, it's its 'unique' factor is what gives it it's high price tag. Only 210,000 of these coins were minted. Seems like a lot, right? But not when you hear that there's usuallyover a billion 50p pieces in circulation.

The 50p coins are apparently so valuable to collectors that many will pay between £200 - £400 for them - over 50 times their actual value!

To read the complete article, see:
Fancy making a profit on your 50p coins? Of course you do!(http://www.womanmagazine.co.uk/lifestyle/unique-50p-coins-earn-you-a-fortune-67205)

David adds:

Counterfeit 2009 Kew Gardens 50p coins are known to exist. The style is similar to the fake Magna Carta £2 coin and others that can regularly be purchased direct from a Chinese auction website. Ialways find that the eye (of the Queen) is the most obvious giveaway, as for some reason forgers often have difficulty getting the eye detail right. The forgery on this page at 7.2 grammes is also10% lighter than a real one which should be 8 grammes. It's diameter is also a tiny amount less than the 27.3mm that it should be.

To read the complete article, see:
2009 Fifty Pence FAKE KEW.(http://www.checkyourchange.co.uk/50p-coins-in-circulation/2009-fifty-pence-fake-kew/)

To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
ROYAL MINT ISSUES 2009 KEW GARDENS 50 PENCE COIN (http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n24a19.html)
BRITONS SEARCH FOR RARE KEW GARDENS 50P COIN (http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n08a25.html)
DAVID PICKUP: UNCOMMON THOUGHTS AND RARITIES (http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n37a32.html)