2024 Snowman 50p Coins
2024 Snowman coins available now. The Snowman Advent calendar is already SOLD OUT!
New Rarest 50p UK Coin
Atlantic Salmon fifty pence coin is now rarer than the Kew Gardens fifty pence coin. This relates to the CIRCULATED version (with no privy mark, and not the uncirculated or proof variants. Read our page on the new rarest 50p coin in the UK! Part of the 2023 Definitive Coin Set from The Royal Mint.
Want to get one? Let’s Go Salmon Fishing
The Royal Mint revealed that the Salmon 50p coin featuring an Atlantic salmon and King Charles III’s portrait is now the rarest in circulation, with just 200,000 minted. This coin surpasses the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p, which held the title for 15 years. The release of 2023 mintage figures confirmed the limited number, 10,000 fewer than the Kew Gardens version. The 50p is a popular collector’s item, with over 100 designs, including commemorative ones from the London 2012 Olympics and King Charles’s coronation.
New 50p Coins
Gruffalo’s Child 50p Coin Release – 28th August 2024
Shop Gruffalo’s Child 50p Coins
2024 Harry Potter 50p Coin
Harry Potter – The Winged Keys 50p coins range. Celebrating an iconic moment from Harry Potter’s adventures, this UK 50p coin features the boy wizard overcoming a challenge during his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Shop Harry Potter 50p Coins
Millennium Falcon 50p Coin
THE STAR WARS COLLECTION: Millennium Falcon – Join us as we celebrate one of the most iconic starships in cinematic history with a Millennium Falcon 50p coin featuring a design inspired by the inimitable Millennium Falcon.
Shop Millennium Falcon 50p Coins
New coin release from The Royal Mint, not in circulation.
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Rare 50p Coins List
The top ten rarest fifty pence coins in circulation are:
The Kew Gardens 50p sells for hundreds of pounds!
Free Circulating 50p Coins List
Rare 50p Coins. Which coins are worth money? UK coin collector guide with all circulating fifty pence coin values for today.
Download our free PDF file listing all fifty pence coins in circulation.
Rare 50p Coin Values
Our site lists all 50 pence coins in UK coin circulation and their 50p coin values.
We also feature coins not intended for circulation, released as collectible UK coins.
History of the 50p coin
The British decimal fifty pence coin, commonly referred to as the 50p coin, is a denomination of sterling coinage worth half of one pound. Introduced in 1969, its obverse has featured the profile of the current Monarch, with five different royal portraits used since its inception. As of March 2013, there were approximately 920 million 50p coins in circulation. The coin is popular among collectors, leading to numerous designs for both commemorative and circulating coins.
The 50p coin is legal tender for amounts up to £10. Its history is fascinating, involving the challenge of creating a new coin tier with a distinct shape. The coin’s unique seven-sided design, known as an equilateral-curve heptagon or Reuleaux polygon, was the world’s first and is a curve of constant width. This design was chosen to ensure the coin could be easily used in vending and sorting machines.
The coin underwent a change in 1997, reducing in diameter and thickness, with the older, larger coins being removed from circulation. The 50p coin has seen various obverse designs featuring Queen Elizabeth II and, more recently, King Charles III. The reverse designs have been varied, often commemorating significant events and figures in British history, culture, and science.
Key Features of the 50p Coin
- Shape: An equilateral-curve heptagon, a shape of constant width.
- Obverse Design: Features the current Monarch, with various designs over the years.
- Reverse Design: Varied designs, often commemorating significant events and figures.
- Legal Tender: Up to £10.
Notable Commemorative Designs
- 1973 Marking the UK’s accession to the European Economic Community.
- 1994 50th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings.
- 2000 150th Anniversary of the Public Libraries Act.
- 2009 Kew gardens 50p is released.
- 2011 Celebrating 50 years of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
- 2020 Marking the Withdrawal of the UK from the European Union.
Recent Developments
- 2022 Introduction of a coin featuring King Charles III following the death of Elizabeth II.
- 2023 A new design featuring an Atlantic salmon was introduced for the King Charles III fifty-pence coin.
The 50p coin not only serves as a medium of exchange but also as a canvas to commemorate and celebrate British history, culture, and achievements.
What is the rarest 50p in circulation?
The rarest 50p coin in general circulation is 2009 issued Kew Gardens 50p with a very low mintage figure of only 210,000 coins.
What fifty-pence pieces are worth money?
Check our list of all 50p coins to see mintage figures and average selling prices in 2021.
Which 50p coins are rare?
Our 50p coin list provides mintage figures for all 50p coins in circulation that you can sort by rarity.
How many Beatrix Potter 50p coins are there?
The Beatrix Potter 50p coins were first released in 2016 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter.
How many London 2012 Olympic 50p coins are there?
The Royal Mint issued 29 different Olympic 50p coins to commemorate the Olympic Games held in London in 2012.
The Brilliant Uncirculated edition of these coins was originally sold individually by The Royal Mint for £2.99 +P&P
- Manufactured to a higher standard on a slower press
- Packed carefully into a protective capsule
- Presented on a colourful London 2012 design card
- Placed into a polybag for extra protection
- Features official London 2012 logo
Known as the 50p Sports Collection, if you bought all 29 coins in the set they offered a FREE Coin Album to hold all coins plus the Completer Medal.
Which are the Rare Olympic Coins?
Aquatics 50p Lines Over Face
The Aquatics 50p first edition with lines over the face of the swimmer is a rare coin.
Only 600 of the Aquatics 50 pence coins were issued with the water covering the face of the swimmer before the design was changed to show no water lines over the face.
A 1st Edition Aquatics coin in the original BU coin pack sold on the 3rd February 2019 for £957.50, according to eBay Sold listings.
The 2nd edition Aquatics 50 pence is NOT a rare coin. Beware! due to the high value and demand for this coin, there are copies / fake coins in circulation and on eBay.
Do your research before you buy one.
Blue Peter 50p
The Blue Peter 50p Winner’s Edition is a rare coin.
In 2009, the BBC Children’s TV program Blue Peter held a competition for its viewers to send in their design for an Olympic 50 pence.
The winner was Florence Jackson’s drawing of a high jumper. Nine-year-old Florence, from Bristol, was the first child ever to work with the Royal Mint to design a UK coin.
A limited-edition of these Blue Peter 50p Winner’s Edition coins were minted in 2009 and it’s these ones that are rare.
It is thought that only 100,000 of the commemorative coins with a 2009 stamp were minted.
The 2011 variant of the Athletics 50p is NOT a rare coin.
Second, on the rare Olympic 50p coin list is the Football 50p, also referred to as the Offside Rule coin.
This is the lowest mintage coin of the 2011 issues, closely followed by Wrestling, Judo, and Triathlon.
All are sought-after by British Coin collectors and UK Numismatists.
NIFC Coins
Some fifty pence coins are formally known as NIFC (Not Intended For Circulation) which means the Royal Mint has released them as collectible coins only and not put them into general circulation. You will not find these coins in your pocket change.
Some of these coins are still available to purchase directly from the Royal Mint in Brilliant Uncirculated condition.
Don’t pay more for a circulated coin on eBay when you can get it directly from the mint!
All prices are average selling prices seen in our research of UK coin values.
You might also like to see the Royal Mint mintage figures for all 50p coins.