Posts Tagged ‘50p’
Three medals, two Kings, one incredible coin – The Stories of the Second World War 50p
The 2025 Stories of the Second World War 50p represents the impactful stories of those who lived through World War II, that will unfortunately soon fade from living memory. It also marks a historic first for British coinage, as it’s the first UK 50p to feature two different Kings – King George VI on the reverse and His Majesty King Charles III on the obverse!
Three Medals
The design on the Stories of the Second World War 50p was created by Timothy Noad with the assistance of Imperial War Museums, and depicts the medals awarded to millions who contributed to the cause. The medals featured include the 1939-45 Star, Defence Medal and War Medal, representing the countless unique experiences of the Second World War.
The 1939-45 Star (left) was awarded to personnel of the Navy, Army or RAF personnel who completed operational service overseas between 3 September 1939 and 8 May 1945 (2 Sept 1945 in Far East). The medal is a 6 pointed star with the crowned royal cipher of George VI on the obverse and the reverse is blank as with all World War II stars.
Credit: Auckland Museum, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Defence Medal (centre) was awarded to military and civilian subjects of the British Commonwealth during the Second World War and bears the uncrowned coinage effigy of George VI on the obverse. On the reverse of the medal was the Royal crown atop an oak tree, flanked by two heraldic lions.
Credit: Robert Prummel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The War Medal (right) was the most common medal awarded to British and Commonwealth citizens who served in the Armed Forces or Merchant Navy during World War II. It features a crowned effigy of George VI on the obverse and a lion trampling on a monster with features of both an eagle and serpent on the reverse.
Credit: Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Two Kings
Two of the three medals that features on the Stories of World War II 50p feature the effigy of King George VI, who was reigning monarch from 1936-1952 – the entirety of the Second World War. This, along with the portrait of King Charles III that features on the obverse of the coin, makes the first time ever that two different Kings have features on a UK 50p coin!
Two different Kings have previously featured on crowns, such as the 2023 King Charles I 1oz and the 2023 Charles II 1oz, however this is the first time in living memory – maybe even ever – that two different Kings have featured on the same 50p coins.
One incredible coin
The Second World War was a time when extraordinary courage and relentless effort came from all corners of the UK and the Commonwealth, forever shaping modern British society. From the battlefields to the home front, everyone played a role in the war effort—each story, a testament to resilience and unity.
These stories have been immortalised on the 2025 Stories of the Second World War 50p, preserving them for generations to come, and you can own a piece of history by securing it for your collection in Brilliant Uncirculated quality.
Our military history on UK coins
1994 D-Day 50p
The 1994 D-Day 50p was issued to mark the 50th anniversary of the Normandy Landings. This coin was originally issued in the larger 50p specification, meaning you’re no longer able to find it in your change. It was later re-issued in 2019 in the smaller 50p specification, however this version didn’t enter circulation.
Interestingly, the 1994 D-Day 50p was voted the all time favourite 50p coin by Change Checkers!
2024 D-Day 50p
30 years later in 2024, a new D-Day UK 50p was issued, this time marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The design was created by renowned sculptor David Lawrence in collaboration with Imperial War Museums and depicts brave Allied troops risking their lives on that fateful day.
This coin didn’t enter circulation, but when paired with the 1994 D-Day 50p, makes for a poignant reminder of the incredibly important day in history.
VC Medal and Heroic Acts 50ps
In 2006, two 50p coins were issued to mark 150 years of the Victoria Cross award – the highest and most prestigious decoration of the British decorations system. One of the coins features the Victoria Cross medal itself, a bronze cross pattée bearing the crown of Saint Edward surmounted by a lion, and the inscription “for valour”.
The other 50p represents the Heroic Acts carried out by those who received the award, with a soldier carrying a wounded comrade against a silhouette of the Victoria Cross medal.
The original 2006 issues of these coins entered circulation, however they were both re-issued in 2019 as part of the 50th Anniversary of the 50p Military History Collection.
Battle of Britain 50p
The Battle of Britain was an intense air battle fought mainly throughout the summer of 1940 between Germany and Britain. To commemorate 75 years since the great battle, The Royal Mint issued this 50p in 2015.
Designed by sculptor Gary Breeze, this coin quickly gained interest from collectors due to the three different obverses when it was initially minted. Find out more about that here >>
Like the VC 50ps, the Battle of Britain 50p was also re-issued in 2019 in the Military History 50p Collection.
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The 2025 Mary Poppins 50p is practically perfect in every way!
Mary Poppins, one of the best loved literary characters of all time has been celebrated on the 2025 Mary Poppins 50p – 91 years since the first book was published!
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A supercalifragilisticexpialidocious design
The reverse design on the 2025 Mary Poppins 50p features an original illustration by Mary Shepard that appeared on the cover of the first book in P.L. Travers’ eight book series. Mary Poppins can be seen soaring over the rooftops, umbrella in one hand, trusty carpetbag in the other, an image that perfectly captures the magic of the beloved story.
Did you know? Mary Poppins illustrator Mary Shepard was the daughter of E.H. Shepard who illustrated Winnie the Pooh and The Wind in the Willows. P.L. Travers originally wanted E.H. Shepard to provide the illustrations for her stories, however he declined as he was too busy, it was only after receiving a Christmas card featuring artwork by Mary Shepard that Travers felt her whimsical style would be suited to her vision for Poppins.
Over 90 Years of Magic
After blowing in on an east wind and arriving at 17 Cherry Tree Lane, Mary Poppins gets to work taking care of the Banks children, teaching them fun and valuable life lessons – with a little bit of magic thrown in.
Image Credit: Disney trailer screenshot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Since the first book was published in 1934, the Mary Poppins stories have captured the imaginations of both children and adults across the globe, gaining further popularity in 1964 with the Disney film adaptation of the story.
Julie Andrews brought the beloved literary character to life in the original 1964 film adaptation, however Poppins has been portrayed countless times in film and theatre since.
Who’s portrayal of Mary Poppins is your favourite? Let us know in the comments!
Other literary icons on UK coins
Mary Poppins isn’t the first literary character to feature on a UK coin, we’ve previously seen the likes of Lucy Pevensie and Mr Tumnus strolling through Narnia on the 2023 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 50p, Paddington Bear travelling around London on the 2018 and 2019 Paddington 50p series and of course, the Gruffalo on the sell-out 2019 coins and the 2024 Gruffalo’s Child 50p.
Peter Rabbit and other beloved characters from Beatrix Potter’s enchanting tales featured on UK coins between 2016 and 2020. Thirteen Beatrix Potter 50ps were issued between 2016 and 2018, each featuring beloved characters from Potter’s enchanting tales. All of these coins entered circulation, however a further 2 Peter Rabbit 50ps were issued in 2019 and 2020 which did not enter circulation.
And not to be forgotten is the 9-coin Winnie the Pooh 50p series which feature original illustrations from A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh storybooks by none other than E.H. Shepard!
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Does your Paddington at the Palace 50p have the rare ‘crisp packet’ error?
It’s always exciting when a new coin ‘error’ or ‘mis strike’ is discovered, and I’ve just come across one I haven’t seen before – the Paddington at the Palace 50p ‘crisp packet’ error.
Paddington on UK Coins
Paddington Bear first appeared on UK coins in 2018, when 2 new 50ps were issued to celebrate 60 years since the beloved bear’s appearance in Michael Bond’s classic childhood tale. The first coin featured Paddington at his namesake train station, followed by him waving a flag in front of Buckingham Palace.
He continued his adventures around London in 2019 when a further 2 50ps were issued, showing Paddington in front of the Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral.
‘Crisp Packet’ Error
In the bottom left of the 2018 Paddington at the Palace 50p is a path in front of the Palace railings, just above the initials ‘DK’ for designer David Knapton.
Image Credit: @coinpatrol on YouTube
In the normal version of the coin (pictured above) a few solid lines and a dotted line appear on the path, however coins with the ‘crisp packet’ error show a small bubble underneath the left-most line.
Image Credit: @coinpatrol on YouTube
The ‘crisp packet error’, named so due to its resemblance to a crumpled up crisp packet, is thought to be due to a cracked die causing the metal to pool. The particular example pictured above was shared by Coin Patrol on YouTube and is suspected to have been struck toward the start of the minting process using the cracked die, however several other collectors have reported the error at different stages of die deterioration.
Image credits: josne-4158 on eBay, redelvis0077 on PicClick, @coinpatrol on YouTube
It’s not known how many Paddington at the Palace 50ps have this ‘error’, however if you have one in your collection, it could make the coin much more sought-after.
Not the first cracked die error
The 2015 First World War Navy £2 made waves when collectors started to notice that some versions of the coin looked to have a flying flag atop the mast of the ship.
A number of people wondered whether there were two different designs of the Navy £2, however it was later confirmed that the extra ‘flag’ was caused by a cracked die during minting.
Image credit: @coinpatrol on YouTube
Do you have any error coins in your collection?
If you’re lucky enough to have an error coin or mis strike in your collection, let us know in the comments!
You can check out our Myths and Mis strikes blog for more information on common ones to look out for.
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