The 2020 Team GB 50p – what we know so far…

Today it was revealed by Royal Proclamation that a brand new 50p coin will be released in 2020 to celebrate Team GB at the Olympic Games.

According to the Royal Proclamation published on 12th July, the new 50p coin will be issued next year, supporting Team GB at the 2020 Olympic Games which will be held in Japan.

Whilst the final design hasn’t been revealed just yet, it is suggested to feature symbols depicting individual Olympic sports accompanied by the Olympic Rings, the Team GB logo, the inscription ‘TEAM GB’ and the date ‘2020’.

Olympic 50p craze

The 2012 Olympic 50p collecting craze kick started many collector’s interest in the hobby and since then an estimated 75% of these coins have been removed from circulation by collectors adding them to their collection.

Many collectors were therefore delighted in 2016 when The Royal Mint issued a special 50p to wish Team GB success for the Rio 2016 Games, considered by many to be the 30th Olympic 50p.

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 has been officially endorsed by Team GB and celebrates the spirit of British Olympians – a must have for all Olympic 50p Collectors.

Could this be the 31st Olympic 50p?!

Now that a new Team GB 50p is on the horizon I’m sure Olympic 50p collectors will be really excited to be able to get their hands on this coin next year.


If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use and allows users to:

– Find and identify the coins in their pocket
– Collect and track the coins they have
– Swap their spare coins with other Change Checkers

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Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app

Top four 50p coins shortlisted. Vote for your favourite!

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 50p coin, we’ve been asking Change Checkers to vote for their favourite UK 50p coin EVER!

With over 70 different designs issued by The Royal Mint since 1969, choosing an overall favourite is no easy task and so we decided to first split the coins into four categories – Modern, Olympic, Beatrix Potter and Pre 1997.

Change Checkers have been voting for their favourite coin from each category and the shortlisted results are now in, ready for the overall winning design to be chosen. Vote now in our poll at the bottom of this blog.

Top Modern 50p – 2017 Sir Isaac Newton

Top Olympic 50p – Football

Top Beatrix Potter 50p – 2016 Beatrix Potter

Top Pre 1997 – D-Day Landings

2017 Sir Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton is widely recognised as one of the most influential scientists of all time and a key figure in the scientific revolution. He changed our understanding of mathematics and physics, redefined the way we see the world and shaped the security of our currency in his role as Master of the Mint.

Designed by Aaron West, this 50p coin has been issued to commemorate the achievements of Sir Isaac Newton and remembers the legacy he left.

Click here to find out more about the coin >>

Olympic Football

The football 50p was possibly the most publicised of all the Olympic 50p designs, as it features the hotly debated offside rule in the form of a simple diagram.

Designer Neil Wolfson, a sports journalist by trade, chose an image which he felt would encapsulate the sport whilst also provoke discussion.

Click here to find out more about the coin >>

2016 Beatrix Potter

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter, the Royal Mint released this 50p to celebrate Beatrix herself.

Designed by Emma Noble, the coin includes elements that celebrate Beatrix as the artist behind some of the best-loved characters in children’s literature along with the nostalgic font used for the inscription.

Click here to find out more about the coin >>

Pre 1997 D-Day Landings

On 6th June 1944, a date known ever since as D-Day, a mighty alliance of British, American and Commonwealth armed forces crossed over from England to Normandy and began an assault on occupying German troops.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of these D-Day landings in 1994, The Royal Mint released this 50p designed by sculptor John Mills depicts an armada of ships and planes heading in one direction.

Click here to find out more about the coin >>

Now that the top four coins have been shortlisted, it’s time to find out which 50p is the overall favourite amongst Change Checkers.

Vote in our poll below to pick the best 50p coin ever issued and we’ll announce the winning design later this week.


If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use and allows users to:

– Find and identify the coins in their pocket
– Collect and track the coins they have
– Swap their spare coins with other Change Checkers

Change Checker Web App Banner 2 Amends 1024x233 1 1024x233 - Vote for your favourite 50p coins from the last 50 years!

Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app

50p “Scarcity Index” Launched – discover which UK 50p coins are the most collectable

Can’t wait – click here to reveal the UK’s “scarcest” 50p coin

Change Checker has launched the 50p “Scarcity Index”, which tracks which circulating 50p coins are the most scarce and collectable. 

The index uses a unique combination of mintage, collecting and swap data to give the most up-to-date picture of today’s 50p coin collecting market.

The top 5

There’s no surprise to find Kew Gardens at the top of the list.  With a mintage of just 210,000, it is also the least owned and most requested swap.  The next 4 scarcest coins are all from the 2012 Olympics – Football, Triathlon, Judo and Wrestling.

The recent Beatrix Potter 50p coins also rank highly, with Jemima Puddle-Duck and Squirrel Nutkin coming in at numbers 6 and 7 – based largely on their low level of ownership and high swap requests, as official mintages are yet to be confirmed by the Royal Mint.

Click here to see the full list

How the Scarcity Index works

Generally collectors have had to rely upon mintage figures to identify the scarcest coins.  But they only tell part of the story.  Trying to find a good quality coin from 15 – 20 years ago, even for a higher mintage issue, is much more challenging than a more recent issue, as coins become damaged over time and are ultimately removed from circulation.

Additionally, some designs are more hoarded than others by people who might not normally collect coins – the Beatrix Potter issues being a classic example.  Finally, it can be up to a couple of years before the Royal Mint eventually confirms the actual mintage for an issue.

That’s why we have combined the mintage information with two other key pieces of information.

  • How many of each design are listed as “collected” by Change Checkers, indicating the relative ease of finding a particular coin.
  • The number of times a design has been requested as a swap over the previous 3 months, showing the current level of collector demand.

Importantly, as new coins are released and popularity rises and falls across different designs the Scarcity Index will be updated quarterly allowing Change Checkers to track the relative performance of the UK’s circulation coins.

How much are my coins worth?

The Scarcity Index does not necessarily equate to value but it is certainly an effective indicator.  Whilst Kew Gardens 50p coins command prices on eBay of between £70 and £100, other coins towards the top of the scarcity index typically achieve a premium of roughly 10 – 12 times face value.

But don’t forget the joy of Change Collecting is that you have always have a chance of finding any one of these coins in your change – even Kew Gardens – you just have to be sharp-eyed.

What about £1 and £2 Coins?

The £1 Scarcity Index has already been published for the round £1 coins and, because they are no longer being issued, this is now set in stone.  Change Checker will be releasing the £2 Scarcity Index later in April.