50p Coins
Computer pioneer, Charles Babbage, celebrated on an Innovation in Science 50p…
Charles Babbage was an English mathematician and inventor who originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. He is even considered by some the ‘father of the computer’!
In 2021, the year marking 150 years since his passing, The Royal Mint issued a UK 50p as part of their Innovation in Science series.
2021 UK Charles Babbage 50p
The reverse of the Charles Babbage 50p was created by Nigel Tudman and Jas Bhamra, and features a design honouring Babbage’s legacy, linking his machinery to the digital age. They used a combination of traditional minting skills and modern technology to create the striking design.
The Pioneer of Computing
Boasting an impressive career in calculus, astronomy, and arithmetics , Charles Babbage held the title of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University.
The 1820s saw Babbage’s development of his ‘Difference Engine’, which was a machine that could perform mathematical calculations. Initially constructed as a six-wheeled model, it was later developed into a bigger, better, and more complex machine – Difference Engine 2.
However, his fame as a computer pioneer largely came from his invention, the Analytical Engine. It could perform any arithmetical calculation using punched cards, as well as a memory unit to store numbers – the fundamental components of today’s computers.
Babbage’s ideas were well ahead of their time, making him a perfect addition to The Royal Mint’s Innovation in Science series.
The Innovation in Science Series
This exciting series kick-started back in 2019 with the issue of the Stephen Hawking 50p.
2019 Stephen Hawking 50p
In 2019, less than a year since his death, The Royal Mint released a Stephen Hawking 50p coin, honouring his works as one of the most influential physicists of the modern age.
He became the very first person to be celebrated in The Royal Mint’s Innovators in Science series and only the third person to be commemorated on a coin within a year of their death (the others being Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother!)
The reverse of the coin, designed by Edwina Ellis, features a stylised black hole and the inscription ‘Stephen Hawking’ . It also shows the Bekenstein-Hawking formula, which describes the thermodynamic entropy of a black hole!
2020 Rosalind Franklin 50p
In the year that would have marked her 100th birthday, The Royal Mint released a 50p celebrating the life and crucial work of Rosalind Franklin, the first female scientist to be commemorated on a UK coin.
David Knapton’s striking design of this coin, features a depiction of Rosalind Franklin’s X-ray, ‘Photograph 51’, which revealed the helical structure of DNA, in her laboratory at King’s College, London.
One of Britain’s greatest scientists, Franklin made a crucial finding to the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA.
2021 John Logie Baird 50p
It’s hard to imagine life without television but back in the early 1920s, it was a complete unknown.
That was until John Logie Baird successfully produced televised objects in outline in 1924, transmitted recognisable human faces in 1925, and demonstrated the televising of moving objects in 1926.
Issued in 2021, to celebrate the life and works of the ‘Father of Television’, the design of this 50p coin features key milestones from Baird’s life, presented between the lines of transmission radiating from the centre of the coin.
Do you have any of the Innovation in Science coins in your collection? Let us know in the comments!
NATIONAL TEAM GB 50p for 50p BALLOT ANNOUNCED!
*** UPDATE – BALLOT NOW CLOSED ***
The 2021 Team GB 50p ballot has now closed, but congratulations to our 650 lucky winners!
Despite the road to Tokyo 2020 not being easy for our Team GB athletes, their performances and dedication to their sports has be nothing short of inspirational.
The 2020 Games, amongst other things, were postponed for only the fourth time in Olympic history, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
With this, we also saw the delay of the individual release of the official Team GB 50p, issued to celebrate our incredible athletes in the upcoming sporting event.
So, to celebrate Team GB’s incredible success at this year’s Olympic Games and the release of this outstanding new 50p coin, Change Checker is incredibly excited to announce that we’re launching a National UK 50p for 50p Ballot.
Your chance to own the 2021 Team GB 50p for JUST 50p
We’re giving away 10 of these fantastic new coins at face value for every medal won by Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics!
That means 650 lucky collectors will have the chance to own this brand new coin, in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for JUST 50p.
The winners will be contacted via email on the 23rd August with details of how to claim the new 50p coin for just 50p.
Unusual Dual-Date
This coin was initially issued as part of the 2020 Annual Coin Set but with the postponement of the Olympic Games to 2021, this 50p was never individually released in 2020.
This 50p is already proving to be one of the most sought-after coins in recent years, especially after collectors have waited a whole year to get their hands on the individual issue.
Excitingly, this means that there are two versions of the coin – one with the obverse dated 2020 from the 2020 Annual Coin Set and one with the obverse dated 2021 from this year’s individual release.
Team GB 50p from 2020 Annual Coin Set 2021 Team GB 50p
What’s more, this makes the new 2021 UK Team GB 50p one of only a small handful of UK 50ps to feature a dual-date – only adding to the collectability of the new coin!
The coin we’ve all been waiting for… the 2021 UK Team GB 50p
Back in 2020, collectors were delighted by the announcement of the new Team GB 50p, released as part of the Annual Coin Set, to celebrate Team GB’s participation in the upcoming Olympic Games.
However, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the postponement of the Olympic Games to 2021, this 50p was never individually released in 2020.
Collectors were desperately been waiting for the chance to get their hands on this coin and it was finally individually issued in 2021.
The coin, designed by David Knapton, features a depiction of various Olympic sports and the official Team GB logo. But, arguably the most exciting feature of this brand new coin, is that it’s dual-dated!
Unlike the version of this coin issued as part of the 2020 Annual Coin Set, this coin features a 2021 dated obverse, whilst still keeping the original 2020 reverse design!
Excitingly for collectors, this makes the new 2021 UK Team GB 50p one of only a handful of UK coins to feature a dual-date – adding to it’s collectability!
The 2021 Team GB 50p is no longer available from The Royal Mint, but you can secure it in Brilliant Uncirculated quality from Change Checker for just £12.99 (p&p) >>
Dual-Dated Coins
The 2021 UK Team GB 50p is one of only a handful of UK coins to feature a dual-date…
Other dual-dated 50ps include the 2019 dated Kew Gardens, Battle of Hastings and Scouts 50p coins, issued as part of the 50th anniversary of the 50p collections. These 50p coins featured both their original issue dates on the reverse and their re-issued 2019 dates on the obverse!
Kew Gardens, Top Right: Scouting Centenary, and Bottom: Battle of Hastings.
Additionally, this 50p, which celebrates the UK’s presidency of the European Council of Ministers and the completion of the Single Market features both a 1992 and 1993 date on its reverse!
Olympic 50p Craze
In 2012, 29 50p coins were released to commemorate the London Olympics and millions rose to the challenge of collecting them all. For many, this marked the start of their interest in coins.
The Royal Mint now estimates that as many as 75% of the Olympic 50p coins have been removed from circulation by collectors, which is a testament to their popularity.
Since then an estimated 75% of these coins have been removed from circulation by collectors adding them to their collection.
And so collectors were delighted in 2016 when The Royal Mint issued a special 50p to wish Team GB success for the Rio 2016 Games. It was considered by many to be the 30th Olympic 50p, so could the brand new Team GB 50p be considered the 31st?
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 was officially endorsed by Team GB and celebrates the spirit of British Olympians.
Fourth Cancellation in Games Entire History
Since the opening of the modern Olympics in 1896, the international sports competition has only been cancelled three times: once during World War I and twice in World War II.
The COVID-19 outbreak is the only non-militant threat to have disrupted the Olympic Games during peacetime.
This 50p marks not only Team GB’s participation in one of the most renowned sporting events worldwide, but also the impact the past year has had on centuries worth of tradition.
Secure your 2021 UK Team GB 50p today!
