Computer pioneer, Charles Babbage, celebrated on latest Innovation in Science 50p…

Charles Babbage was an English mathematician and inventor who originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. He is even renowned for being the ‘Father of Computers’!

In the year marking the 150th year of his passing, The Royal Mint has commemorated him on a brand new UK 50p, the latest issue in their Innovation in Science series.

2021 UK Charles Babbage 50p

This brand new 50p, designed by Nigel Tudman and Jas Bhamra, features a clever design which links Babbage’s extraordinary machinery to the digital age.

Believing scientific advancements should benefit everyone, Charles Babbage is the perfect addition to The Royal Mint’s Innovation in Science series.

Excitingly, this brand new 50p is now available in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for JUST £4.50 (+p&p) for collectors. To secure yours today, in Official Change Checker packaging, simply click here >>

The Pioneer of Computing

Charles Babbage (1791-1871). Source: Wikimedia Commons.

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 1924transmitted recognisable human faces in 1925, and demonstrated the televising of moving objects in 1926.

Issued in 20201, 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.


We’re so excited to see the 2021 UK Charles Babbage 50p join the marvelous Innovation in Science series and we’re sure this brand new coin will prove incredibly popular with collectors!

Will you be securing these coins for your collection? Let us know in the comments!


Secure the 2021 UK Charles Babbage 50p in Brilliant Uncirculated quality!

Own the brand new 2021 UK Charles Babbage 50p in CERTIFIED Brilliant Uncirculated quality for JUST £4.50 (+p&p).

Your superior collector quality coin has been protectively encapsulated in Official Change Checker packaging to preserve for generations to come.

The Insulin 50p – What we know so far…

Did you know that an Insulin 50p is set to be issued this year?

The Royal Proclamation from the 23rd July 2021 confirmed that a 50p will be issued in 2021 featuring a design dedicated to the hormone, Insulin.

Whilst the design remains top secret, the Royal Proclamation reveals the coin’s reverse design will feature a depiction of insulin molecules and the chemical formula for insulin.

Insulin was first discovered in 1921 by Sir Frederick G Banting, Charles H Best, and JJR Macleod at the University of Toronto.

Before this, very few people with type 1 diabetes lived more than a year or two, and it remains the only effective treatment for people with the condition to this day.

In the 100th anniversary year of its discovery, could this new 50p become the very latest issue in The Royal Mint’s Innovation in Science series? It hasn’t been confirmed but we certainly think it would make a great addition!

This series has brought us the 2019 Stephen Hawking 50p and the 2020 Rosalind Franklin 50p – both of which have proved incredibly popular with collectors!

We’re so excited for the design of this brand new coin to be revealed – it’s sure to make a huge breakthrough into the coin collecting world!

To make sure you don’t miss out on adding this brand new coin to your collection as soon as it is released, you can sign up to the Change Checker Subscription Service here >>

Be one of the first to receive the brand new Insulin 50p!

So, don’t miss your chance to get ahead of the crowd and be one of the very first collectors to receive the latest UK new issue coins (including the Insulin 50p) as soon as possible after their release.

The Change Checker New Issue Subscription Service allows you to own the latest coin releases, delivered to your doorstep, without any of the hassle of ordering the coin yourself!

Simply choose the Subscription that best suits you. Find out more here >>

The coin we’ve all been waiting for… the 2021 UK Team GB 50p

Back in 2020, collectors were delighted by the announcement of the new Team GB 50p, released as part of the Annual Coin Set, to celebrate Team GB’s participation in the upcoming Olympic Games.

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the postponement of the Olympic Games to 2021, this 50p was never individually released in 2020.

Collectors have desperately been waiting for the chance to get their hands on this coin and now the big day has arrived, at Change Checker HQ, we are so excited to be sharing the details of this brand new 50p with you!

The brand new coin, designed by David Knaption, features a depiction of various Olympic sports and the official Team GB logo. But, arguably the most exciting feature of this brand new coin, is that it’s dual-dated!

Unlike the version of this coin issued as part of the 2020 Annual Coin Set, this new coin features a 2021 dated obverse, whilst still keeping the original 2020 reverse design!

Excitingly for collectors, this makes the new 2021 UK Team GB 50p one of only a handful of UK coins to feature a dual-date – adding to it’s collectability!

To secure this coin for your collection for JUST £4.50 (+p&p) in Brilliant Uncirculated quality, presented in Official Change Checker packaging, simply click here >>

Dual-Dated Coins

This brand new 2021 UK Team GB 50p is one of only a handful of UK coins to feature a dual-date.

Other dual-dated 50ps include the 2019 dated Kew Gardens, Battle of Hastings and Scouts 50p coins, issued as part of the 50th anniversary of the 50p collections. These 50p coins featured both their original issue dates on the reverse and their re-issued 2019 dates on the obverse!

2019 50th Anniversary of the 50p coins. Top left:
Kew Gardens, Top Right: Scouting Centenary, and Bottom: Battle of Hastings.

Additionally, this 50p, which celebrates the UK’s presidency of the European Council of Ministers and the completion of the Single Market features both a 1992 and 1993 date on its reverse!

1992/93 UK EC Presidency 50p

Undoubtedly, the dual date on this brand new 2021 UK Team GB 50p will add to its collectability, as well as already being one of the biggest numismatic stories of the past year.

And, considering the popularity of previous Olympic 50ps, i’m sure collectors will be quick to snap this coin up for their collections.

Olympic 50p Craze

In 2012, 29 50p coins were released to commemorate the London Olympics and millions rose to the challenge of collecting them all. For many, this marked the start of their interest in coins.

The Royal Mint now estimates that as many as 75% of the Olympic 50p coins have been removed from circulation by collectors, which is a testament to their popularity.

Since then an estimated 75% of these coins have been removed from circulation by collectors adding them to their collection.

And so collectors were delighted in 2016 when The Royal Mint issued a special 50p to wish Team GB success for the Rio 2016 Games. It was considered by many to be the 30th Olympic 50p, so could the brand new Team GB 50p be considered the 31st?

Team GB 2016 United Kingdom 50p BU Coin UKU01856.
2016 Team GB 50p

The coin’s obverse features a swimmer with the Team GB logo, the Olympic rings and the inscription ‘TEAM GB’. Designed by Tim Sharp, the coin was officially endorsed by Team GB and celebrates the spirit of British Olympians.

But, now as the 2021 UK Team GB 50p coin takes centre stage, I’m sure the coin collecting community will be sent into a frenzy once more, with demand for this coin already being high.

Fourth Cancellation in Games Entire History

Since the opening of the modern Olympics in 1896, the international sports competition has only been cancelled three times: once during World War I and twice in World War II.

Olympic Torch at the Olympic Oval at the University of Calgary. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The COVID-19 outbreak is the only non-militant threat to have disrupted the Olympic Games during peacetime.

This 50p marks not only Team GB’s participation in one of the most renowned sporting events worldwide, but also the impact the past year has had on centuries worth of tradition.

With the significance of this year’s Games playing a key part in the interest for this coin, we’re certain coin collectors and sporting fans alike will be eager to add the 2021 UK Team GB 50p to their collections.


Will you be adding this brand new dual-dated 2021 UK Team GB 50p to your collection? Let us know in the comments below!


Secure your 2021 UK Team GB 50p today!

Own the brand new 2021 UK Team GB 50p Coin in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality for JUST £4.50 (+p&p) and cheer on our incredible athletes as they chase their dreams in Tokyo this summer.

Your coin has been protectively encapsulated in Official Change Checker packaging with that all-important hologram to guarantee its superior quality.

Don’t miss this sought-after 50p! Secure your 2021 UK Team GB Tokyo 50p Coin today by clicking here >>