The Definitive 50p Collecting Challenge
*** UPDATE ***
The Definitive 50p Collecting Challenge has now come to an end as the 50p coin celebrated its 50th anniversary on the 14th October 2019, however you can still take up the challenge for yourself!
Best of luck hunting down all the definitive 50ps from your change!
There are currently 21 different definitive 50p coin designs to be found in your daily change. Your mission is to collect all of them from your change.
Definitive 50p coins
The mintage chart below shows how many of each UK definitive 50p coin is currently in circulation.
The rarest definitive 50p is the 2017 Royal Shield, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled and check the dates on your Royal Shield 50ps on the hunt for this coin.
Yasmin and I were actually lucky enough to come across the 2017 Royal Shield during a 50p coin hunt, so it can be done and they most certainly are out there if you check your change!
We don’t yet know the mintage figures for 2018 and 2019 50p coins, so these coins haven’t been included on the chart, however it’s worth holding onto these coins as you never know how rare they might turn out to be! Our mintage charts and the Definitive 50p Checklist will be updated as soon these figures are confirmed.
You might have also noticed that no definitive 50p coins were issued for circulation in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2016. These coins won’t be included in the Definitive 50p Collecting Challenge, however if you do manage to find one in your change you will be very lucky as they would have come from an Annual Coin Set and are not intended for circulation.
You can download and print the Definitive 50p Collecting Challenge checklist here to keep track of the coins you’ve managed to find so far.
HI RACHEL just completed the 50p challenge with a 2018 shield this morning really unexpected.
That’s fantastic, well done Sydney! And you are very lucky to have a 2018 Royal Shield as collectors are struggling to find them in circulation.
Hi Rachel.
Back a while ago I enquired about how we could prove we’ve Completed the Definitive 50p coin collection, but the question remains Un-Answered so could you please let us know ? Thank you. I will be posting a photo of my check list onto the Change Checker page soon. ??
Hi John, sorry your comment was missed. You can use the checklist to show that you have found all the definitive 50ps in circulation. Best of luck completing the challenge!
Yes I have completed my 50p ??
Hi Rachel
I have every 50p minted from 1969 th 2019 and including the rare AQUATICS, but I still
wanted to join the hunt just for the fun of it and in doing so I have managed to find them
all but the 2018,
Now am I right that I wont win the medal but I can buy one on its own or with the collectors set.
Regards
Les
Hi Les, that’s an incredible achievement, well done for building up such an extensive collection. You’re very lucky to have found the Olympic Aquatics 50p as well – is that the standard coin or the version with lines over the swimmer’s face?
We’re waiting to hear the mintage figures for the 2018 coins, so it might turn out that no Royal Shield 50ps were released in 2018, in which case your collection is complete.
You can secure the medal individually or within the set and there will also be opportunities to win a Gold Plated medal on our social media channels in the coming weeks.
Thanks,
Rachel
Hi Rachel
I didn’t find the Aquatics 50p coin I got it free from a dealer back in 2011 when I bought an expensive 2009 anniversary 50p proof coin set I told you about and yes it is an original recalled coin with the line over the swimmers face and it is still in it’s card and pack, and at the time of getting it the dealer asked me if I wanted a box of the them, IT WASN’T RARE THEN so I said NO, sorry just wiping the tears again.
By chance a few days later I made a deal with another dealer and said on the condition that if he had some that he would let me have one, he agreed and did he did he had 3 and he went back on the deal
he sold me one for £1.95, so I now have two of them and the very rare set of 50p coins.
Regards
Les.
Wow, imagine having a whole box of them! It’s still very lucky to have two. I bet they take pride of place in your collection Les.
Hi Rachel
It’s not a problem if we have to,
but do we have to prove we have collected all the 50 p coins ?.
Les
Hi Les, no need to prove you’ve completed the challenge, although we’d love to see your collection if you’d like to share a picture to one of our social media channels.
Hi. I am lucky – I have all these 50ps. I have been collecting for many years – keep at it and you will eventually find them.
I have completed my collection and have received my pack but how do i get my hands on the gold medal is that picked at random or presented to those who collect them the quickest
Hi Robert, congrats on completing the challenge! Your standard medal will be sent to you in October, but you will also have the opportunity to win a Gold Plated Medal by taking part in social media activity over the coming weeks.
We do not have 2017 or 18 50p coins but we do have all the others including 1 2019 shield and 1 2019 brittania, is this a rare coin or is it going to be mass produced for nostalgia purposes, cheers Jay n Danielle.
Hi Jay, the 2019 Britannia has been struck in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 50p and is a commemorative issue only, so will not be entering circulation.
Finding it difficult to find the 2018 and 2019 50ps. Would it be considered cheating if I was to purchase the brilliant uncirculated versions of these coins?
The 2019 Shield 50p has been found in circulation but it’s still unsure if the 2018 was released and we won’t know until The Royal Mint reveal their mintage figures. So if you’ve managed to find them all bar the 2018 coin you could say you’ve completed the challenge.
Hi I got my pack am I meant to have the cards or plastic thing to put my 50p in or do I just put them in the wallet?
Hi, your pack should come with 3 plastic pocket pages to hold your coin cards. Please email [email protected] if these have not been included and we’ll get this sorted for you.
Just had a email from Westminster saying that they don’t do the blue card bits so do I just slip it in the plastic folder and sellotape it????
Hi, this product comes with 20 x Change Checker Plus 50p Coin Packaging which can be used to hold your coins. If these weren’t sent out in your order please can you email [email protected] with your account number and I’ll personally look into this for you. Thanks, Rachel
I have just completed the Definitive 50p Checklist after looking through £500 in 50ps and have found two sherlock holmes coins as well
Wow, that’s fantastic and what a nice surprise to find not one, but two Sherlock Holmes 50ps! Congrats Matt!
Hi again.
Wow I checked my collection of 50p coins, before my commenting on here, and considering the cost of the kit to put our 50p coins in, and cost of medal if not getting the kit i’ve decided the amount being asked for these items will be better spent on more coins or going towards the cost of items which I can add to my collections.
Hi John, the collecting pack and medal are available to purchase however you can still take part in the challenge without them. We have a free checklist you can download to keep track of your coins. Best of luck completing the collection!
I have all the coins already
Congratulations Julie! You can purchase a medal for your collection here if you’re interested: https://www.westminstercollection.com/p-612E/Definitive-50p-Collecting-Challenge-Medal.aspx
Hi there. I have all 50p coins on the lists you’ve supplied, and from other posts here it seems that I may be in line for the collectors medal, is this so please? May I ask if we need to send in proof of our coins?
Hi John, congrats on completing your definitive 50p collection! The medal comes free when you purchase the Definitive 50p Challenge Collecting Pack, but you can order it separately here: https://www.westminstercollection.com/p-612E/Definitive-50p-Collecting-Challenge-Medal.aspx
Hi already got all definitives 50p inc 2018 2019 do we still get medal chris
Hi Chris, congrats on completing your collection! And well done for finding the 2018 Royal Shield 50p – people seem to be really struggling to find that coin. The medal is available to purchase individually here: https://www.westminstercollection.com/p-612E/Definitive-50p-Collecting-Challenge-Medal.aspx
Hi Rachel.
As stated before I “Have All Difinative 50ps”, and I do mean ALL of them within my date run collection from 1969 to 2019, including a few of the 2018 coin. Could you inform me how those of us choosing not to buy the folder or medal, can take part in this challenge and how does any of us prove we’ve completed the challenge?
John
Hi John, that’s amazing to have every single definitive 50p in your collection, what an achievement! You can download the PDF checklist to mark off your coins and we’ll also be giving away some special Gold Plated medals in the coming weeks, so stay tuned to our social media channels to get involved.
Hi Rachel,
Looking forward to doing this. I for one don’t mind shelling out for the collectors pack. Will Change Checker now include definitive card inserts for the album for future years? Even with a relatively low mintage the 2017 shield wasn’t too hard to come across because nowhere near as many people are as interested in definitives as they are the commemoratives. You’ll now find their value rocketing like Newton’s did.
Hi Craig, I’m really pleased to hear you’re going to be taking part in the challenge! Best of luck! Definitive ID cards for each year isn’t something we have considered, but of course they are now available in the Definitive 50p Collecting Pack. It’s really interesting what you say about the 2017 Shield being easier to find as not many people collect the definitive coins. Hopefully they’ll start getting more recognition now!
Under the ‘My collection’ page for 50p: Royal Arms, you list the years of issue as: 2008, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 & 19. Yet you have included the 2018 coin in the definitive 50p collection challenge. Is this coin in circulation? Has anyone seen one?
Hi Steve, we are still waiting on Royal Mint mintage figures to confirm whether or not this coin has entered circulation. We’ve updated the PDF checklist to reflect this and will update it again should we hear any news regarding 2018 figures.
I reckon a batch of the 2017 definitives were issued in Birmingham as I have had several here – the 2019’s seem to be pouring out too, but no sign of a definitive 2018 yet, be interesting to see the mintage figures (which seem a bit late this year).
Birmingham must be the place to be to get hold of the 2017 Shield! Will be really exciting to see the mintage figures for 2018/19 coins. We’ll update you as soon as we hear any news.
I also have every 50 p even Kew Gardens
I feel quite embarrassed by the whole process as I have already steadfastly pursued the standard Britannia and Royal Shield Coins from 1997 to 2019 and the only one I have failed to find is one of the most common issues namely 2014 Royal Shield which has a mintage in excess of 49 Million,and no matter how I try I CANNOT LAND ONE. I did land the 2017 Royal Shield about 2 weeks ago in my change in DERBY,so as you say they are out there,plus I have found no end of 2019 Shields so I would not expect that to be a low Mintage and I ACTUALLY RETURNED ABOUT TEN of them back into the Public System as I WAS BEING INUNDATED WITH THEM IN MY CHANGE. I HAVE NOT TO DATE SEEN ANY 2018 ISSUES,and would like confirmation that they have been issued to the general Public. So I ALREADY HAVE AT LEAST ONE OF EACH DATE named in your list EXCEPT FOR 2014 ROYAL SHIELD,so I will redouble my efforts to find one to complete the task for your competition.
Hi Andrew, how bizarre that the 2014 Shield has so far eluded you! Fingers crossed you manage to come across one soon. You could try swapping with other collectors on the Change Checker Community Facebook group? You’re very lucky to find so many 2019 Shields though! It will be very interesting to see the mintage figures when they are released. Unfortunately we won’t know about the 2018 Shield until this time either, although many people have said they haven’t been able to find this one.
It is pleasing to see the definitive 50p’s being recognised, as they are something I have collected alongside the commemorative issues. I am a little confused though about the 2018 coin being included, as I understood that it was not a circulated coin. Is this the case or not?
Hi Steve, I agree – the definitive coins are due their recognition. It’s great to hear that you collect them alongside the commemorative coins. Unfortunately we won’t know about the 2018 Shield until the mintage figures are confirmed. We have updated our checklist slightly to take this into account: /wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Change-Checker-50p-Coins-Checklist_compressed-1.pdf
Ive got them all bar 2018 shield do you have any idea how rare it is? I know the mintages aren’t released yet but it would help me to know whether or not to get my hopes up!
Thanks,Harry
Hi Harry, that’s fantastic! You’re certainly ahead of the game! You can secure your Definitive 50p Challenge medal here: https://www.westminstercollection.com/p-612E/Definitive-50p-Collecting-Challenge-Medal.aspx
Unfortunately we won’t know about the 2018 Shield until The Royal Mint releases mintage figures.
What is the point of collecting these they all look the same,
apart from the 2017 definitive 50p which has a MINTAGE of 1.8 million all the others are 10 million plus.
The 1997 one has a MINTAGE of 456 million which will in a hundred years will still only be worth 50p.
Just another ruse to sell collectors albums at £25 a time to put the coins in , i for one will not be collecting them, I would rather collect the different 50p’s that come out each year in smaller quantities,
And look different and belong to a theme.
Hi Tony, this collecting challenge may not be for everyone, but there are certainly many collectors out there who enjoy collecting the definitive coins for each year of issue and as you say, some of them are much rarer than others. It’s also a great challenge to try to collect every commemorative 50p in circulation. Which ones do you have in your collection so far?
I have already a complete set thanks to you.
How can I get my medal.
Regards
Trevor
Congratulations on completing your definitive collection! Here is a link to the medal: https://www.westminstercollection.com/p-612E/Definitive-50p-Collecting-Challenge-Medal.aspx
As above
I already have a complete set. Thanks to you.
How can I get a medal.
Regards
Trevor
So glad to hear you’ve completed your set! Here is a link to the medal: https://www.westminstercollection.com/p-612E/Definitive-50p-Collecting-Challenge-Medal.aspx
Hi can I just check 2018 didn’t release the 50p.I have never found one and when you look on find a coin on change checker it doesn’t have the date so I assume they didn’t release in to general circulation.
Hi Hazel, we’re waiting on mintage figures for 2018 coins so don’t yet know if the 2018 Shield entered circulation. We will update everyone (and the Definitive 50p Checklist) once figures are confirmed.
hi Rachel the only 50p i’m missing is the original kew gardens one if you have 4 and would be willing to sell one how much would you want ??
Well done for building up your collection! Unfortunately we don’t sell the Kew Gardens 50p as they are just so scarce. You can try asking on Facebook coin groups though.
Am after first world war Aviation 2pounds coines
all ready got every one
Unable to register not accepting email address
Hi Dave, are you still experiencing problems registering? If so, please can you email [email protected] and we will look into this for you.
ggreat
I am lucky that I don’t have to start a collection of these coins,as I have all of them including the 2017 fifty pence,I have four of them,also I have the kew gardens 50p four of them,and all of the very first 50ps that was released before the smallest one was released,I also have the collections of the missing 50p,it has taken a long time to get them,so keep trying and you will get there.
Congratulations John, it sounds like you have a fantastic collection there!
Same as have every 50p ever released including the other rarer 50p that’s twice as rare as the Kew gardens 50p. The 2018 sir Isaac Newton 50p.