Latest news with #IanRank-Broadley
Scottish Sun
19-07-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Rare 50p coin sells for £110 after fierce bidding war – exact detail to look out for
Plus, we reveal more rare coins that could sell for £180 COINING IT Rare 50p coin sells for £110 after fierce bidding war – exact detail to look out for Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A RARE 50p coin has sold for £110 after a fierce bidding war - we reveal the exact details to spot. The 2009 Kew Gardens piece was sold to one lucky punter after fighting off offers from 12 other bidders. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The Kew Gardens 50p is a desirable coin for collectors There are around 210,000 of these coins in circulation, making it a very rare find. The front of this coin has an image of the late Queen Elizabeth II, with the engraver's initials, Ian Rank-Broadley, below. But what makes this coin special is the design on the reverse. The tails side features a leafy vine wrapped around a Chinese pagoda. It also has the date of the year it was made to commemorate the anniversary. Plus, you might be able to get more than £110 for the coin. Last month, one of these coins sold for £127.08 after 16 people tried to bid for it. That makes it a whopping 254 times its face value. And earlier this week, one of these coins sold for £120 on eBay after a bidding war, with 13 offers placed. But you might not always fetch such a high sum for the piece, with one seller on eBay flogging the same coin for £34 after 11 bids. Five 50ps that could earn you thousands The Kew Gardens piece is not the only rare coin that can be worth a pretty penny. The 2009 Blue Peter piece also recently sold for £180 after 21 bids. It was released in 2009 ahead of the London Olympic games in 2012. The coin features someone doing the high jump on one side, a design created by eight-year-old Florence Jackson from Bristol. The final design was chosen from over 17,000 entries as part of a Blue Peter competition. 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.
Scottish Sun
14-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Rare 50p coin sells for 230 times its value at auction – detail to check in your change
COINING IT Rare 50p coin sells for 230 times its value at auction – detail to check in your change Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A RARE 50p coin has sold for an astonishing £115 on eBay – that's 230 times its face value – and it might just be hiding in your spare change. The auction featured a genuine 2009 circulated Kew Gardens 50p in good condition. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Collectors go crazy for this design Credit: EBay 3 The Kew Gardens 50p is widely considered the holy grail of British coin collecting The coin attracted six bids before the hammer came down at £115. The sale took place online and has caught the attention of collectors across London and beyond, where coin fans are always on the lookout for rare finds. The Kew Gardens 50p is widely considered the holy grail of British coin collecting. Just 210,000 of these special coins were released into circulation back in 2009, making them the rarest 50p piece ever issued by The Royal Mint. With such low numbers, the odds of one turning up in your change are extremely slim – but not impossible. The reverse of the coin features a detailed image of the famous Chinese Pagoda at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, with a leafy vine spiralling around the structure. The obverse shows the late Queen Elizabeth II, designed by Ian Rank-Broadley. Collectors go crazy for this design, and it's often the coin that sparks people's interest in the hobby. It even topped scarcity charts in the past and regularly sells for well above face value online. At the peak of its popularity, some sold for hundreds of pounds. Watch coin expert reveal the two rarest 50ps worth up to £195 face value- and key details to look for in change Another Kew 50p recently fetched £134.07 after 19 bids, while similar examples have gone for £79 depending on condition. As always, a coin is only worth what someone is willing to pay, but demand for this one remains high. It's worth noting that this 2009 version is the original and was actually put into circulation. A second version was released in 2019 as part of a commemorative set, but it was never intended for everyday use. The newer coin carries the same pagoda design but features a different portrait of the Queen and the 2019 date. Even the 2019 proof version can go for decent sums, one recently sold for £82 after 11 bids. But it's the original 2009 piece that collectors value most. The Kew Gardens 50p was launched to celebrate 250 years since the gardens opened in 1759. Today, the UNESCO World Heritage Site remains one of Britain's most iconic attractions, boasting treetop walkways, greenhouses, and historic buildings. Prices for rare coins can vary widely depending on interest at auction. But with this coin still commanding high prices, now could be a good time to cash in.
BBC News
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Lowestoft Benjamin Britten statue to be 'unveiled this year'
A statue of Benjamin Britten as a boy "is in the factory being cast" and is expected to be "unveiled this year" after a fundraising life-size bronze sculpture will be installed near the seafront in the Oscar-winning composer's hometown of Lowestoft, Suffolk, after £110,000 was by Ian Rank-Broadley, it will be placed opposite 21 Kirkley Cliff Road, where Britten was born on 22 November Soanes, vice chairman of the project, said he hoped the piece would act as an inspiration for many young people in the town. "The focus of it, and making it about him as a child, is to make children in the area realise they can achieve their ambitions too," the broadcaster and author told BBC Suffolk."When he was 14 his mother took him to the Norfolk and Norwich Festival where his talent was spotted."So, our idea of depicting him at that point is to really inspire children that whatever you want, if you work hard, it is achievable." 'A wonderful thing' The musician, who died in 1976, was previously described as a "genius" by the man tasked with bringing his likeness to life, sculptor Mr it would also not be possible without the "fantastic team of passionate people from the community" behind the Britten as a Boy project, said Mr Soanes."It has been a four-year process and a lot of hard work from [people] who have been pulling it all together," added the 48-year-old, from Lowestoft."The statue is now in the factory being cast as we speak and will be unveiled this year and installed in the next few months."We don't know exactly when, but it will be there this year. It will be a wonderful thing." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
