50 Pence - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Kew Gardens (2009)

About the 2009 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Kew Gardens

The 2009 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Kew Gardens is a circulating 50 pence coin in the Kew Gardens 50p series, struck in copper-nickel. It weighs 8g and measures 27.3mm across. Reverse design: A design showing the pagoda, a building associated with the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, encircled by a vine and dividing dates.

210,000 were struck.

Common questions

History and design

The Kew Gardens 50p was issued in 2009 to mark the 250th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, which date their foundation to 1759. The royal proclamation setting out its design came into force on 10 October 2008.

Only 210,000 were struck for circulation. The Royal Mint puts this down to low demand for the 50p denomination in 2009, which kept that year's production of 50p coins unusually small. For comparison, the Mint's figures show 3,400,000 for the 2011 WWF 50p and more than a million for every one of the London 2012 Olympic designs.

It was the rarest 50p in circulation until October 2024, when the Royal Mint published a figure of 200,000 for the 2023 Atlantic Salmon 50p. Kew Gardens now ranks second among 50p coins in active circulation.

The reverse is by Christopher Le Brun. It shows the Great Pagoda, one of the best-known buildings at Kew, encircled by a climbing vine. The dates 1759 and 2009 sit either side of the tower and the word KEW is at its base.

There is no denomination on the reverse. The obverse carries the fourth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, in which she wears the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, with FIFTY PENCE below the portrait. The edge is plain.

Varieties and errors

Counterfeits are the main hazard. Collector guides list a frosted finish on the pagoda and dates, an overly pointed pagoda roof, rounder features on the Queen's portrait and a weight below the standard 8 grams as warning signs.

Two fine lines either side of the word KEW are often taken as proof of a fake. They are part of the design and show clearly on Brilliant Uncirculated and proof coins, which are struck with more force, but only faintly on circulation strikes.

Genuine errors exist but are few. A small number of circulation coins with strike-through marks on the obverse have been authenticated by a grading service. A reported "extra leaf" beside the pagoda has been attributed to die wear or a die chip.

Collecting notes

Weigh any example and compare it with a known genuine coin before buying. Because the coin circulated for years, most survivors show wear, and the Royal Mint notes that many were pulled from change early by collectors.

Brilliant Uncirculated coins were sold to collectors, and the proclamation also provided for gold, silver and silver piedfort versions. These share the design but are not part of the 210,000.

The design was struck again with a 2019 date for sets marking 50 years of the 50p. Those coins were sold to collectors and never circulated: see the 2019 Kew Gardens 50p. The coin that overtook it is the Atlantic Salmon 50p.