Posts Tagged ‘roger bannister’
The 50p set that SOLD OUT IN 2 HOURS!
To celebrate 50 years since the release of the first seven sided coin in 1969, in January 2019, The Royal Mint released a set of five re-issued iconic 50p coins, including the UK’s most sought-after 50p in circulation, the Kew Gardens.
These coins were issued in Base Proof, Silver Proof and Gold Proof, but within just two hours of going on sale, the entire range completely sold out!
Many collectors were left feeling disappointed after missing out on the chance to own this set, however today The Royal Mint did later release a Brilliant Uncirculated edition to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 50p, giving a few more collectors the chance to secure them.
Find out about the coins featured in this set below…
Britannia 50p
The very first 50p coin issued in 1969 was designed by Christopher Ironside and featured the seated Britannia alongside a lion.
This coin was issued between 1969 and 2008, after which The Royal Mint held a public competition to redesign the reverse of UK coins, with Matthew Dent’s winning shield design featuring on the reverse of definitive 50p coins until 2023.
It seems only fitting therefore that the first 50p to be re-issued for the 50th birthday of the 50p was the ‘New Pence’ Britannia, featuring Ironside’s design, a firm favourite for collectors, representing a numismatic milestone for Britain.
Girl Guides 50p
The Girl Guides 50p was originally issued in 2010 to celebrate 100 years of Girl Guiding in the UK.
Girl Guiding began in the UK in 1910 after Robert Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes to start a group especially for girls that would run in a similar way to the scouting movement he founded in 1907.
The trefoil Girlguiding logo seen on the reverse of the coin represents the threefold promise of the Guides, and is the focus of this commemorative 50p which celebrates the centenary of the organisation.
Scouts 50p
The next coin to be re-issued was the 2007 Scouts 50p. The Scouting movement was started in 1907 by Lord Robert Baden-Powell at an experimental camp on Brownsea Island in Dorset.
Baden-Powell was a decorated soldier, talented artist and free-thinker who believed in teaching boys practical outdoor activities and resourcefulness.
‘Be prepared’ became the motto of the scouting movement and features on the design of this commemorative 50p which was issued in 2007 to mark 100 years of the Scouting movement in the UK.
Roger Bannister 50p
Another firm favourite which featured in this set was the 2004 Roger Bannister 50p.
On 6 May 1954, 25-year old medical student Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile barrier, celebrated by this 50p issue. His time of 3mins 59.4 seconds was achieved at the Iffley Road track in Oxford and watched by around 3000 spectators.
This 50p is unusual in the sense that it is very rare for the achievement of a living person to be celebrated on a coin, and it was originally issued in 2004, prior to Bannister’s death in 2018.
Kew Gardens 50p
Of course, the Kew Gardens 50p, which remained the rarest 50p in circulation for 15 years until it was replaced by the 2023 Salmon 50p, had to be re-issued as part of the 2019 set.
Initially when the coin was released in 2009 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, its rarity was overlooked.
However in 2014 The Royal Mint revealed just how scarce this coin really is, with only 210,000 coins entering circulation. From this moment, prices on the secondary market began to skyrocket and collectors have since been desperate to add the coin to their collection, regarding the coin as one of the biggest prizes in the collecting world.
The 2019 re-issue of the most highly collected UK coin is a chance for collectors who have not already got this coin in their collection to finally own a genuine Kew, as many fakes have unfortunately been doing the rounds on the secondary market. Find out how to spot a Fake Kew Gardens here >>