Posts Tagged ‘50th anniversary of the 50p’
The coin that’s got it all… a never-before-seen mintmark, a minting first and a 50th anniversary to celebrate!
2019 marks a milestone moment for coin collectors as the world’s first seven-sided coin celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Since its introduction in 1969, the 50p has become one of the most collected UK coins, featuring many different commemorative designs and in recent years, inspiring a whole new generation of coin collectors.
Which is why we’re so excited the 50p coin we’ve been waiting all year for has JUST been released.
The 50 Years of the 50p Anniversary Coin has just been released by The Royal Mint for UK Collectors and is the only official UK 50p coin to be issued to celebrate this most-important numismatic anniversary.
We’re sure you’re just as excited about this as we are so let’s take a closer look at the incredibly special anniversary design…
50 Years of the 50p Anniversary Coin – The Design
‘The Shape of a Revolution’ – carefully designed by The Royal Mint design team, this unique 50p is said to ‘pay tribute to the science that gave us the world’s first seven-sided coin’.
Featuring Christopher Ironside’s iconic Britannia on the reverse, inscribed with ‘NEW PENCE’ just as the original 1969 coin was, this unique 50p has not one, but two special features:
- An exclusive never-before-seen mint mark; the Spirograph type design has been drawn from an extension of lines forming the 50p shape. It pays tribute to the revolutionary coin design and is entirely exclusive to the anniversary issue.
- A minting first; on the outer rim of the reverse design, the letters A-G appear on each point and are joined by crossing lines. This is a minting first on a UK 50p.
It’s hardly surprising that an anniversary of this significance would warrant such a special 50p design, but the collectability of this remarkable new issue is certain to make this one of the most popular 50p releases of the year.
This coin is a commemorative design only, issued to celebrate the anniversary, and will not be entering general circulation.
How many different designs?!
In the 50 years since its introduction, the 50p coin has seen a change in size specification, two definitive designs, over seventy commemorative designs, four portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and has become the most collected UK coin – a busy few decades some might say!
In the past we’ve asked Change Checkers to vote for their favourite 50p coin of all time and the winning design was the 1994 D Day 50p. But now that this extraordinary new coin has been released, I wonder if it will become a new favourite amongst collectors…
Let us know your thoughts on this brand new release and what your favourite 50p design is below!
Secure The Official 50th Anniversary 50p Coin
Struck to a superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality, your anniversary coin has been protectively encapsulated and certified by Change Checker.
Secure your official 50 Years of the 50p CERTIFIED BU Anniversary Coin for just £4.50 (+p&p) today.
The Definitive 50p Collecting Challenge
*** UPDATE ***
The Definitive 50p Collecting Challenge has now come to an end as the 50p coin celebrated its 50th anniversary on the 14th October 2019, however you can still take up the challenge for yourself!
Best of luck hunting down all the definitive 50ps from your change!
There are currently 21 different definitive 50p coin designs to be found in your daily change. Your mission is to collect all of them from your change.
Definitive 50p coins
The mintage chart below shows how many of each UK definitive 50p coin is currently in circulation.
The rarest definitive 50p is the 2017 Royal Shield, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled and check the dates on your Royal Shield 50ps on the hunt for this coin.
Yasmin and I were actually lucky enough to come across the 2017 Royal Shield during a 50p coin hunt, so it can be done and they most certainly are out there if you check your change!
We don’t yet know the mintage figures for 2018 and 2019 50p coins, so these coins haven’t been included on the chart, however it’s worth holding onto these coins as you never know how rare they might turn out to be! Our mintage charts and the Definitive 50p Checklist will be updated as soon these figures are confirmed.
You might have also noticed that no definitive 50p coins were issued for circulation in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2016. These coins won’t be included in the Definitive 50p Collecting Challenge, however if you do manage to find one in your change you will be very lucky as they would have come from an Annual Coin Set and are not intended for circulation.
You can download and print the Definitive 50p Collecting Challenge checklist here to keep track of the coins you’ve managed to find so far.
What could you buy for 50p 50 years ago?
As 2019 marks 50 years since the 50p coin was introduced, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at how the value of the 50p coin has changed since it was first introduced back in 1969.
Thinking back to my own childhood, I remember when 50p pocket money seemed to go quite a long way – especially when spending it on 1p sweets!
But just how far does 50p get you today compared to 1969?
Take a look at the helpful guide below to see just how much some everyday items have increased in cost during the past 50 years…
What was the last thing you remember buying for just 50p? And I wonder how much it would have cost you 50 years ago…
Celebrate 50 years of the 50p with 10 coins re-issued for 2019
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the 50p coin, The Royal Mint has re-issued ten of the most popular and collectable 50ps in British history, including the Kew Gardens 50p!