By Bill Exley
The first 50 pence piece was a large ungainly coin of 13-5gms and 30mm diam , introduced into circulation in Oct 1969. until 1998 when it ceased to be legal tender , the Thin version appearing in Oct. 1997. For Rarity value it is quite widely accepted that the 2009 Kew Gardens specimen is the hardest to find .It shows a square shaped Pagoda entwined by a Vine, with a weight of 8-0 gms and standard diam today of 27-3 mm It consists of 'Cupro Nickel' 75% Copper and 25% Nickel (with other strengthening agents of Iron and Manganese) The low mintage fig of only 210,000 issued, stamps it's rarity value to collectors, compared to the 2010 Girl Guides issue of 7,500,000 coins.
I think now that there are 4 Rarities to find due to Low mintage or popular design. The 1984 mintage is only 158,000 // 1992/93 dual date (unusual) and only 109,000 made // the 2015 Battle of Britain, missing a 50 pence value on either side // and the 2009 Kew Gardens with 210,000 minted. The 2009 and 2015 are a Thin version (8gms), the other two are the earlier Thick type (13.5gms).
Common terms used in the hobby of coin collecting, or Numismatics, are the 'Obverse' or 'Reverse' sides, this means the Obv. side is the Head of the Monarch, or in the case of Guernsey, Ch.Isles. the Arms or Guernsey Crest . The other side being the reverse (Rev) usually showing Britannia, or the third and forth quarterings of the Royal Arms or a commerative designs .The actual word Britannia , or Britannica were terms used by the Romans for Britain, appearing as a Rev image on our earliest copper coins as far back as the reign of Charles 2nd ,. ( 1660-1685 )
The introduction of the first 50 Pence coin in I969 was the first stage of a gradual change over to a Metric system for the UK. It replaced our old monetary system of Pounds, Shillings and Pence wth 240 Pence to the Pound .. Tthe 10 shilling note (Slang / Ten Bob note), now a 50 pence and equiv. to 120 old pennies. England went fully Decimal on the 15th Feb 1971. On 14/2/71 , 12 Pennies = 1 Shilling (Slang / a Bob) , 20 Shillings = £1 ( Slang/ a Quid) or 240 old pennies to the Pound. In times gone by, 6 pennies = a Sixp'nce ( Slang/ a tanner in 'old- money'). also three-penny bits (Brass), half-pennies and 'Florins' a nice looking two-shilling coin.
In Victorian times there was even a 'Double Forin' coin. but minted for 4 years only, 1887 to 1890 and struck in Fine Silver, They even had a Nick Name, Bar-Maid's Grief as they were so similar to a Crown. To finish my trip down Nostalgia Lane for my American and Foreign readers , there were 4 Crowns to our old pound, now 25 Pence since decimalisation, then the ornate 'Half-Crown' worth Two Shillings and Six Pence. . . ( To Main Index Page )
| 1969 | Our 1st 50p coin, Rev shows Britannia a heavy coin of 13-5 gms and diam of 30-5mm.. Other decimals were struck in 1968 . |
188,000,000 / and also in a 5Pc Proof set,issued Jan 2019 / M 3,500, for 50 yrs of the 50pence coin
...other mintages below |
| 1970 | Rev . Shows Britannia, the heavy version is with us up to and incl. 1997 | 19,461,000 |
| 1971 | The First Decimal Proof set and the only place to find a 50p, so Not in general circulation | Unknown mintage |
| 1972 | A 50p is Only found in a 1972 Proof Set of 7 Coins, with a Crown Equiv. to 25 Pence | Unknown mintage |
| 1973 | Rev shows a circle of 9 hands to mark our joining the E.E.C..and 8 partners The First Comm. 50p piece | 89,775,000 |
| 1974 | The 50p is only found in the Royal Mint Proof and B Unc sets | Unknown mintage |
| 1976 | Rev Shows New Pence above Britannia and 50 below |
43,746,000 |
| The definition of Terms used | An Obverse side (Obv) or Reverse side (Rev) | Obv side, shows the Monarch's Head , Rev is the other side. (see 3rd para above) |
| 1977 | Rev Shows Britannia | 49,536,000 |
| 1978 | Rev Shows Britannia | 72,005,000 |
1979
|
Rev shows Britannia, still a large coin , the novelty of New Pence is dropped in 1982 | 58,680,000 |
| 1980 | Rev Shows Britannia | 89,086,000 |
| 1981 | Rev Shows Britannia | 74,002,000 |
| 1982 | Rev Shows Britannia , also found in Royal Mint B Unc Year sets . | 51,312,000 |
| 1983 | Rev now shows Fifty Pence above Britannia | 62,825,000 |
| 1984 | Rev Shows Britannia and Only found in Royal Mint year type sets of B Unc coins, supplied 'then' by Large G.P.O's , this idea was later dropped | 158,820 / Low issue |
| 1985 | Rev Shows Britannia | 682,100 /Low as well |
| Terms used | Rev or Obv sides | See 1976 data |
| 1986 | The 50p, Only found in the 8 coin Proof Sets | Unknown mintage |
| 1987 | The 50p, Only found in the Proof Set of 7 coins | Unknown mintage |
| 1990 | The 50p, Only in the Royal Mint Proof or B Unc Card sets | Unknown mintage |
| 1992-93 Dual Date, why I do not know/ Rare in Bunc (Bright Uncirculated Condition) | Rev shows the UK as EEC Commision leaders Now seems a new unusual rarity, | 109,000. (Low) , the Kew Gardens is 210.000 so which is rarer in circulation? |
| 1994 | Rev / 50th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings (planes above) by John Mills / still a Heavy version | 6,705,520 |
| 1995 | The 50p is only found in Royal Mint Proof and B Unc sets | Unknown mintage |
| 1997(Thick and Thin) | Rev has Britannia, the Obv shows older version of the Queen's portrait and Crown. The thinner coin of 8gms now arrives in Oct 1997 | 456,364,100 ( V. High ) |
| 1997 | It is interesting to note that this Proof Set has a Large and Thin version of 50p Plus the Aniv £5 coin in a 10 piece set as issued | Unknown mintage(Rare) |
| Terms used | Obv and Rev sides | See 1976 data |
| 1998 (1) | Type 1 / Multiple flags depicting the 25th Aniv. of our joining the E.E.C. in 1973. All heavy 50p's are now demonitised in the Autumn |
5,043,000
|
| 1998(2) | Type 2 Rev / The N.H.S now 50yrs and a thin version | 5,001,000 |
| 1998(3) | Type 3 / Standard Bitannia on Rev but New image and Crown on the Obv.:by Ian Rank-Broadley | 64,306,500 |
| 1999 | Rev Shows Britannia | 24,905,000 |
| 2000 | Rev Shows Britannia | 27,915,000 |
| 2000 | Type 2 Rev depicts Libraries and 150yrs of the Public Libraries Act | 11,263,000 |
| 2001 | Rev Shows Britannia | 84,998,500 |
| 2002 | Ditto as above | 23,907,500 |
| 2003 | Diito as above | 23,583,000 |
| Terms used | Obv and Rev sides | See 1976 entry |
| 2003 | Rev 2 shows Womens Rights, 100th Aniv of Social and Political union | 3,124,000 |
| 2004(1) | 50yrs ago the 1st Sub 4 min. mile ran by 25 yr old Dr.Rodger Bannister (6/5/54) Rev shows a Clock |
9,032,500 .Also in a 5 Pc Proof set M=3,500 (See Refs in 1969 and 2019) |
| 2004(2) | Rev 2 shows Britannia | 35,315,500 |
| 2005 | Rev as above | 25,363,,500 |
| 2005 | Rev 2/ Aniv of the English Dictionary by Samuel Johnson 250 Yrs ago | 17,649,000 |
| 2006(1) | Rev shows 150th Aniv of the V.C medal.given for Valour, instituted by Queen Victoria in 1856 | 12,087,000 |
| 2006(2) | Type 2 Rev shows an act of Valour, with a soldier saving his comrade | 10,000,500 |
| 2006(3 | Type 3 Rev shows Britannia | 24,560,000 |
| Terms used | Obv and Rev sides | See 1976 data |
| 2007 | Scouting Movement Rev by Kerry Davies | 7,710,750 . Also in a 5 Pc Proof Set M=3,500 (See Ref 2019 ) |
| 2007{2} | Type 2 Rev shows Britannia | 11,200,000 |
| 2008 | Type 1 Rev shows Britannia | 3,500,000 |
| 2008(2) | Type 2 A new Rev by Matthew Dent shows part of the Royal Shield, third and fourth quarterings,also a part Puzzle to solve | 22,747,000 |
| 2009 | 250yrs of the Botanical Gdns at Kew /1759 to 2009 / Rev shows a Pagoda design by Christopher Le Brun | 210,000 (Also in a 5 Pc Proof set M= 3,500 See Ref 2019)) |
| 2010 | Rev shows 100yrs of the Girl Guide movement in the U.K. | 7,410,,000 Also in a 5pc Proof set M= 3,500 (See Ref 2019) |
| 2011 | Rev shows a complex scene with a central Panda / 50yrs work by the World Wildlife Org. | 3,400,000 |
| 2011/ Here follows 29 Varieties to mark the different events of 'The 2012 London Olympics ' | The Royal Mint official term 'The London 2012 Sports Collection' will apply / So 29 revs follow | Mintage Figs to follow as so 2011 Types , X/29 etc |
| 2011 | 1/29 Aquatics ; 2/29 Archery | 3/29 Athletics ;4/29 Badminton |
| Type 1/29 Aquatics, 2 Varieties | Two types, / original run shows water and Face hidden, revised to show a Face in detail | M /? |
| Type 3/29 Athletics, 2 Varieties | Rev shows a High Jumper, designed by a School Child a Royal Mint first | Obv can be Two dates 2009 or 2011, M/? |
| 5/29 Basketball; 6/29 Boccia | 6/29 M= 2,160,000; 7/29 Boxing; 8/29 Canoeing | |
| 12/29 Football , Shows a plan explaining the 'Offside rule' | 9/29 Cycling;10/29 Equestrian | 9/29 M= 2,090.500 11/29 Fencing; 12/29 Football, M=1,125,000 |
| 13/29 Goalball;14/29 Gymnastics | 15/29 Handball; 16/29 Hockey | |
| 17/29 Judo | 18/29 Modern Pentathlon | |
| 19/29 Rowing; 20/29 Sailing | 21/29 Shooting 22/29 Table Tennis | |
| 23/29 Taekwondo; 24/29 Tennis | 25/29 Triathlon, M= 1,163,500 | |
| 26/29 Volleyball | 27/29 Weightlifting | |
| 28/29, Wheelchair Rugby | 29/29 Wrestling | |
| 2011 / Types 12 Football and 25 Triathlon are both Rare in Bunc. | 12/29, Diag. of the 'Offside rule' Types 12 and 25 both low mintages Compared to 27 or 84 millions
|
12/29 M= 1,125,000 |
| 2013 (1) | Rev shows the Royal Shield (2008) | 10,301,000 |
| 2013 (2) | Rev 2 / Benjamin Britten text | 5,300,000 |
| 2013 (3) | Rev 3 has a Shield, a trial sample by Christopher Ironside in selections of new Rev designs | 7,400,000 |
| 2014 | Rev shows the Royal Shield | 49,001,000 |
| Terms used | Obv and Rev sides | See 1976 data |
| 2014 | Rev shows the Glasgow Commonwealth Games | 6,500,000 |
| 2015 / Five versions (1) | Rev/1 shows the 1940 Battle of Britain & Airmen. The Obv has a new portrait by Jody Clark and 'Fifty Pence' shown as normal | 5,900,000 |
| 2015 (2) | As above, but NO denomination at all on either side (50p), also with an Old 1998 Obv of the Queen's portrait by Ian Rank Broadley, due to a Mint error. Types 1,4 and 5 Obv have the updated Queen's portrait by Jody Clark . | M unknown |
| 2015 {3) | Rev 3 shows the Royal Shield by Matthew Dent (2008) Fifty Pence below. Date at 12o'clock on an older Obv side | M unknown |
| 2015 (4) | Similar, but date at 25 past position on a New updated Obv by Jody Clark (Crown and Portrait) | M unknown |
| 2015 (5) A Silver Proof set | A Silver Proof 50p / the new Jody Clark Obv and NO denomination at all, so 5 Types of 2015 'unusual' Also it is apparent there are 3 versions of Obv. sides | |
| 2016 | Rev 1 / Battle of Hastings / Design by John Bergdahl | 5,000,000 |
| Terms used | Obv or Rev sides | See 1976 data |
| 2016 The 5 Rev 's were created by the talented Royal Mint coin designer Emma Noble. She has captured every finite detail of Miss Potter's creations making a charming set of coins. | 5 Revs / 150 yrs since the birth of Beatrix Potter and her much loved stories and charachters (1866) . Type 1 Peter Rabbit ; T2-Jemima Puddle- Duck ; T3 Squirrel Nutkin : T4 Mrs Tiggy-Winkle :T5-Text only, | T1 m=9.600.000 T2 m= 2,100,000 T3 m= 5,000,000 T4 m= 8,800,000 T5 =6.9m |
| 2016 | Rev 7, Team G.B and the 'Rio Olympics' shows a swimmer doing the Butterfly stroke/ designer Tim Sharp . | 6,400,000 |
| 2017 | Rev 1/ Shows the 300th Aniv of the Gold Standard report by Sir Issac Newton . | 1,801,500 |
| 2017 | More Beatrix Potter coins issued, Mr Jeremy Fisher, Tom Kitten, The tale of Peter Rabbit ( M =19,900,000), Benjamin Bunny, | Tom Kitten/m 9,500,000 ,Benj Bunny, 25,000,000 Jeremy Fisher, 9,900,000 |
| 2018 | More of this series for 2018 , Peter Rabbit (2nd), Flopsy Bunny, Mrs Tittle Mouse and Tailor of Gloucester as at 26/05/2018 there are 13 varieties in the series to find | New portrait for Peter Rabbit M unknown |
| 2018 (Pd1) | Rev Shows Paddington Bear sat on his suitcase at his namesake Railway Station ( from the book by Michael Bond / 1958 ) | M unknown |
| 2018 (Pd2) | Paddington Bear at the Palace, and 60yrs since the book 'A bear called Paddington' | M unknown |
| 2018 | Flying Snowman. Obv by Jody Clark Rev by Natasha Ratcliffe | M unknown |
| 2018/ 200 Yrs ago, Mary Shelley's novel 'Frankenstein' // A Special Guest Insert | An 'unusual UK £2 Coin, Rev Design by Thomas T. Docherty Obv by Jody Clark | T.B.A. |
| 2018/100th Anniversary of the First World War Armistice // A Special Guest Insert | A very Poignant U.K. £2 Coin. Rev Stephen Raw, the Obv by Jody Clark | T.B.A |
| 2019 (Jan) A 5 Pc. Proof Set | A Collection to Celebrate 50yrs since the 1st 'Thick' 50p in 1969, Kew Gdn's - 2009, Scouts - 2007, Girl Guides-2010 and the 4 min Mile (in 1954) -2004 | Only 3,500 sets in Royal Mint Proof Quality. Sold out in 48hrs |
| 2019/ Celebrates 160 yrs since the birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. (22/5/1859) | Sherlock Holmes. a charachter from the Novel 'Woman in Scarlet ' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887 | TBA |
| 2019 | 'The Gruffalo' / From the book by Julia Donaldson 20yrs ago | TBA |
2019 (Mar) |
Stephen Hawking one of the World's most brilliant scientists. Obv by Jody Clark / Rev by Edwina Ellis | TBA |
| 2019 | Peter Rabbit (3rd) Previous, 2016/18 plus The Tale of Peter Rabbit/ 2017. so 14 coins in the series now | TBA |
| Terms used | Obv and Rev sides | See 1976 data |
| 2019 /N.B./ All Obv's show 2019: 1969 is a Thin 8gms Version, the Revs have not altered | A 5 Pc Coin set to Celebrate 50 yrs of our 50 Pence, 1969/ 2004/ 2007/ 2009 and 2010 | TBA |
| 2019 / A 5 coin set of previous Historical Moments on coins | Celebrating our Military History and 50yrs of the 50 Pence / 1994, 2006-VC Medal, 2006- Bravery, 2015, 2016 and The Battle of Hastings | TBA |
| 2019 (Pd3) | Paddington Bear visits the Tower of London in August / Rev by David Knapton and Obv is a 5th Portrait of Her Majesty, by Jody Clark | TBA later |
| 2019 (Pd4) | Paddington Bear is seen again at St Paul's Cathedral on 10/9/19 | TBA later |
| 2019 / Sept / To mark 50th Aniv | Rev shows Britannia, 'New Pence' above and a 50 below (not seen since 1981) Obv shows 50 Pence, ! so it has Two denominations . Plus Engraved edges, so a Unique coin | TBA later |
| Fifty Pence 'Anomalies' 2011 Aquatics, type 1/29 plus / | Dual Date 1992/93, / 2015 - Five types one with No Denomination / 2019 with 2 Denominations | Seen to date, may be more ? |
| 2019 / Oct | 'The Gruffalo' and curious Mouse | M unknown |
| 2019 | Wallace and Gromit / Rev by Nick Park / Obv by Jody Clark | M unknown |
ADDENDUM
You may like to visit 'Blunham.com' and our delightful Bedfordshire Village of Blunham with its Thatched Cottages, try the links on the Home / Index Page and the extensive researches by Colin Hinson over many years, then my work on Victorian Public Houses, 'Misc & Mash' and 'The Ghost of Theo's Wreck.' ( A memorable part of my own life )
Finally it is of interest to note, for the 50 Pence Collector, the following dates can Only be found in Proof Sets or year type sets mounted in a card. The latter were found at the time in large G.P.O's who were appointed by the Royal Mint as distributors 1971,1972,1974,1984,1986,1987,1990 and1995 // So Not issued for general circulation.
Did You Know That ? * * The three Lowest Mintages in Ascending order are * * 1992/93 m =109.000 / 1984 m= 158,820 and the2009 ( Kew ) m=210,000 * *
Acknowledgements to Colin Hinson, Philippa Exley and the Royal Mint Archives
Last Udated 2nd Nov 2019 by Bill Exley
Author of Guernsey Coinage in 1968