Posts Tagged ‘50p Coin’
Computer pioneer, Charles Babbage, celebrated on an Innovation in Science 50p…
Charles Babbage was an English mathematician and inventor who originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. He is even considered by some the ‘father of the computer’!
In 2021, the year marking 150 years since his passing, The Royal Mint issued a UK 50p as part of their Innovation in Science series.
2021 UK Charles Babbage 50p
The reverse of the Charles Babbage 50p was created by Nigel Tudman and Jas Bhamra, and features a design honouring Babbage’s legacy, linking his machinery to the digital age. They used a combination of traditional minting skills and modern technology to create the striking design.
The Pioneer of Computing
Boasting an impressive career in calculus, astronomy, and arithmetics , Charles Babbage held the title of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University.
The 1820s saw Babbage’s development of his ‘Difference Engine’, which was a machine that could perform mathematical calculations. Initially constructed as a six-wheeled model, it was later developed into a bigger, better, and more complex machine – Difference Engine 2.
However, his fame as a computer pioneer largely came from his invention, the Analytical Engine. It could perform any arithmetical calculation using punched cards, as well as a memory unit to store numbers – the fundamental components of today’s computers.
Babbage’s ideas were well ahead of their time, making him a perfect addition to The Royal Mint’s Innovation in Science series.
The Innovation in Science Series
This exciting series kick-started back in 2019 with the issue of the Stephen Hawking 50p.
2019 Stephen Hawking 50p
In 2019, less than a year since his death, The Royal Mint released a Stephen Hawking 50p coin, honouring his works as one of the most influential physicists of the modern age.
He became the very first person to be celebrated in The Royal Mint’s Innovators in Science series and only the third person to be commemorated on a coin within a year of their death (the others being Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother!)
The reverse of the coin, designed by Edwina Ellis, features a stylised black hole and the inscription ‘Stephen Hawking’ . It also shows the Bekenstein-Hawking formula, which describes the thermodynamic entropy of a black hole!
2020 Rosalind Franklin 50p
In the year that would have marked her 100th birthday, The Royal Mint released a 50p celebrating the life and crucial work of Rosalind Franklin, the first female scientist to be commemorated on a UK coin.
David Knapton’s striking design of this coin, features a depiction of Rosalind Franklin’s X-ray, ‘Photograph 51’, which revealed the helical structure of DNA, in her laboratory at King’s College, London.
One of Britain’s greatest scientists, Franklin made a crucial finding to the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA.
2021 John Logie Baird 50p
It’s hard to imagine life without television but back in the early 1920s, it was a complete unknown.
That was until John Logie Baird successfully produced televised objects in outline in 1924, transmitted recognisable human faces in 1925, and demonstrated the televising of moving objects in 1926.
Issued in 2021, to celebrate the life and works of the ‘Father of Television’, the design of this 50p coin features key milestones from Baird’s life, presented between the lines of transmission radiating from the centre of the coin.
Do you have any of the Innovation in Science coins in your collection? Let us know in the comments!
NATIONAL TEAM GB 50p for 50p BALLOT ANNOUNCED!
*** UPDATE – BALLOT NOW CLOSED ***
The 2021 Team GB 50p ballot has now closed, but congratulations to our 650 lucky winners!
Despite the road to Tokyo 2020 not being easy for our Team GB athletes, their performances and dedication to their sports has be nothing short of inspirational.
The 2020 Games, amongst other things, were postponed for only the fourth time in Olympic history, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
With this, we also saw the delay of the individual release of the official Team GB 50p, issued to celebrate our incredible athletes in the upcoming sporting event.
So, to celebrate Team GB’s incredible success at this year’s Olympic Games and the release of this outstanding new 50p coin, Change Checker is incredibly excited to announce that we’re launching a National UK 50p for 50p Ballot.
Your chance to own the 2021 Team GB 50p for JUST 50p
We’re giving away 10 of these fantastic new coins at face value for every medal won by Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics!
That means 650 lucky collectors will have the chance to own this brand new coin, in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for JUST 50p.
The winners will be contacted via email on the 23rd August with details of how to claim the new 50p coin for just 50p.
Unusual Dual-Date
This coin was initially issued as part of the 2020 Annual Coin Set but with the postponement of the Olympic Games to 2021, this 50p was never individually released in 2020.
This 50p is already proving to be one of the most sought-after coins in recent years, especially after collectors have waited a whole year to get their hands on the individual issue.
Excitingly, this means that there are two versions of the coin – one with the obverse dated 2020 from the 2020 Annual Coin Set and one with the obverse dated 2021 from this year’s individual release.
Team GB 50p from 2020 Annual Coin Set 2021 Team GB 50p
What’s more, this makes the new 2021 UK Team GB 50p one of only a small handful of UK 50ps to feature a dual-date – only adding to the collectability of the new coin!
The challenge is ON! How many Olympic 50ps can you collect?
After a year long wait the highly anticipated 2020 Tokyo Games have commenced and to celebrate Change Checker has a numismatic challenge for you to take part in!
In 2012, the Olympic Games were hosted in London and to mark the occasion The Royal Mint issued 29 50p coins, each depicting a design of a different sport.
So, we’re challenging Change Checkers to hunt down the Olympic 50ps to see if you can complete a collection of all 29 coins.
It won’t be easy, as it’s estimated that 75% of these coin have been removed from circulation by collectors, but by checking your change and swapping with other collectors, it’s definitely possible to find the complete set.
Sports Edition 50p Collecting Pack
To kickstart your collection, you can now get your hands on the Change Checker Sports 50p Collecting Pack, including space for all 29 coins as you find them in your change!
What’s more, we’ll even include a mystery Olympic 50p to get your collection started and you’ll receive a Change Checker Completer Medal too!
The set comes housed in a Change Checker Album, with pages and a title card telling you all you need to know about these coins.
These really were the 50ps that kick-started the nation’s love of collecting and with such amazing designs, many of which were created by members of the public, you can see why these coins are so well-loved!
They have some of the lowest mintage figures of all the UK 50p coins, with the Football 50p in particular, having a mintage of JUST 1,125,500.
When you consider the popularity and mintage figures of these coins, it really is an exciting challenge to try and collect all 29 designs. What’s more, with the Tokyo Games having just begun, it really is the perfect chance to see how many you can find.
How many will you collect? Best of luck Change Checkers!
Don’t forget to check back in with us to tell us how you’re getting on in the challenge!
Secure your Sports Edition 50p Collecting Pack today!
Kick-start your Olympic 50p collection with the Change Checker Sports 50p Collecting Pack for JUST £19.99 (+p&p).
Your pack includes an official Change Checker Album, ID cards for all of the London 2012 50p coins, pocket pages, and the Sports Edition Title page.
Excitingly, you’ll also receive a mystery London 2012 50p to house in your album PLUS a special Sports Edition Medal.
To take part in the challenge and to secure your Change Checker Sports Edition 50p Collection, simply click here >>