Posts Tagged ‘Coin’
The 50p set that SOLD OUT IN 2 HOURS!
To celebrate 50 years since the release of the first seven sided coin in 1969, in January 2019, The Royal Mint released a set of five re-issued iconic 50p coins, including the UK’s most sought-after 50p in circulation, the Kew Gardens.
These coins were issued in Base Proof, Silver Proof and Gold Proof, but within just two hours of going on sale, the entire range completely sold out!
Many collectors were left feeling disappointed after missing out on the chance to own this set, however today The Royal Mint did later release a Brilliant Uncirculated edition to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 50p, giving a few more collectors the chance to secure them.
Find out about the coins featured in this set below…
Britannia 50p
The very first 50p coin issued in 1969 was designed by Christopher Ironside and featured the seated Britannia alongside a lion.
This coin was issued between 1969 and 2008, after which The Royal Mint held a public competition to redesign the reverse of UK coins, with Matthew Dent’s winning shield design featuring on the reverse of definitive 50p coins until 2023.
It seems only fitting therefore that the first 50p to be re-issued for the 50th birthday of the 50p was the ‘New Pence’ Britannia, featuring Ironside’s design, a firm favourite for collectors, representing a numismatic milestone for Britain.
Girl Guides 50p
The Girl Guides 50p was originally issued in 2010 to celebrate 100 years of Girl Guiding in the UK.
Girl Guiding began in the UK in 1910 after Robert Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes to start a group especially for girls that would run in a similar way to the scouting movement he founded in 1907.
The trefoil Girlguiding logo seen on the reverse of the coin represents the threefold promise of the Guides, and is the focus of this commemorative 50p which celebrates the centenary of the organisation.
Scouts 50p
The next coin to be re-issued was the 2007 Scouts 50p. The Scouting movement was started in 1907 by Lord Robert Baden-Powell at an experimental camp on Brownsea Island in Dorset.
Baden-Powell was a decorated soldier, talented artist and free-thinker who believed in teaching boys practical outdoor activities and resourcefulness.
‘Be prepared’ became the motto of the scouting movement and features on the design of this commemorative 50p which was issued in 2007 to mark 100 years of the Scouting movement in the UK.
Roger Bannister 50p
Another firm favourite which featured in this set was the 2004 Roger Bannister 50p.
On 6 May 1954, 25-year old medical student Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile barrier, celebrated by this 50p issue. His time of 3mins 59.4 seconds was achieved at the Iffley Road track in Oxford and watched by around 3000 spectators.
This 50p is unusual in the sense that it is very rare for the achievement of a living person to be celebrated on a coin, and it was originally issued in 2004, prior to Bannister’s death in 2018.
Kew Gardens 50p
Of course, the Kew Gardens 50p, which remained the rarest 50p in circulation for 15 years until it was replaced by the 2023 Salmon 50p, had to be re-issued as part of the 2019 set.
Initially when the coin was released in 2009 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, its rarity was overlooked.
However in 2014 The Royal Mint revealed just how scarce this coin really is, with only 210,000 coins entering circulation. From this moment, prices on the secondary market began to skyrocket and collectors have since been desperate to add the coin to their collection, regarding the coin as one of the biggest prizes in the collecting world.
The 2019 re-issue of the most highly collected UK coin is a chance for collectors who have not already got this coin in their collection to finally own a genuine Kew, as many fakes have unfortunately been doing the rounds on the secondary market. Find out how to spot a Fake Kew Gardens here >>
Which coin from the 2019 50th Anniversary of the 50p Set is your favourite? Let us know in the comments!
The Return of Peter Rabbit! NEW 2019 coin released!
The BRAND NEW 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p has now been officially released!
In 2016 this mischievous little bunny re-inspired the nation to start checking their change.
And that’s because Beatrix Potter’s enchanting tales of countryside characters were brought to life on UK coinage with The Royal Mint’s introduction of the Beatrix Potter 50p series.
Likened to the 2012 Olympic 50p collecting sensation that gripped the nation, the release of these 50ps, including the very first UK Peter Rabbit coin, started a collecting frenzy across the UK.
And now this loveable little character has once again found his way out of Mr McGregor’s garden and onto a brand new UK 50p coin, for the fourth year running.
First issued to celebrate 150 years since the birth of the renowned Children’s author, Beatrix Potter, these 50p coins have been unprecedented in their popularity.
Thirteen coins have been issued since 2016, each featuring one of Potter’s delightful characters, from Flopsy Bunny to Mrs Tiggy-Winkle and even a special coin which includes elements celebrating Beatrix as the artist behind some of the best-loved characters in children’s literature.
The tale now continues with the 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p coin, featuring an original illustration of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter herself, carefully engraved by Royal Mint coin designer, Emma Noble.
The illustration has been taken from the book, ‘The Tales of Benjamin Bunny’ and shows Peter Rabbit wearing his blue jacket, which he daringly retrieved from Mr McGregor’s garden after losing it in ‘The Tales of Peter Rabbit’.
He can be seen clutching a handkerchief which was used to gather onions from the garden to take back for his aunt.
Taken from Beatrix Potter’s book, ‘The Tales of Benjamin Bunny’
The coin won’t be entering circulation, but is available to purchase in Brilliant Uncirculated quality here >>
There is no doubt that this Peter Rabbit 50p coin will be as popular as the previous years, and I’m sure collectors won’t want to let this bouncy bunny slip through their fingers.
Own the BRAND NEW 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p
This is your chance to be ahead of the crowd and secure your 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p in superior Brilliant Uncirculated condition.
Secure the Brilliant Uncirculated issue today for just £3.99 (+p&p) >>
Sign up for more Beatrix Potter news!
The Royal Mint has not confirmed if more Beatrix Potter coins will be issued this year, but if you’d like to be the first to know about any updates or future Beatrix Potter coins, you can sign up to receive updates using the form below:
Brand new 50p released as Stephen Hawking goes down in numismatic history!
Less than a year since his death, The Royal Mint have released a brand new Stephen Hawking 50p coin, honouring his works as one of the most influential physicists of the modern age.
Hawking’s ‘A Brief History of Time’ enlightened millions to the workings of the universe and revolutionised the way we understand time and space. As an ambassador for science, his significant contributions to humanity have left a lasting presence on all of us.
The exciting release of this coin makes Hawking one of only three people to be immortalised on a coin so soon after his passing, putting him alongside Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother in the history of famous figures commemorated on a UK coin within a year of their passing.
1965 Churchill Crown and 2002 Queen Mother Memorial £5 – both issued within a year of their death.
To commemorate Britain’s most famous physicist, a man who brought science to life in a way that the everyday person could connect with, this brand new 50p has been issued in Brilliant Uncirculated, Silver Proof and Gold Proof editions.
The striking design by Edwina Ellis features a stylised black hole to reflect his breakthrough work, as well as an inscription of his name and most notable ‘Bekenstein-Hawking formula’ describing the thermodynamic entropy of a black hole.
Edwina said of the design, “Stephen Hawking made difficult subjects accessible, engaging and relatable and this is what I wanted to portray in my design, which is inspired by a lecture he gave in Chile in 2008. Hawking, at his playful best, invites the audience to contemplate peering into a black hole before diving in. I wanted to fit a big black hole on the tiny coin and wish he was still here chortling at the thought. I am sure he would have thought of ways to harness the shiny table of the coin too. You feel he cared about all of us understanding.”
Excitingly, this is actually the first coin issued as part of a four coin series issued by The Royal Mint to celebrate ‘innovators in science’ and so it seems only fitting that the very first coin should feature Stephen Hawking.
We’re yet to find out who will feature on the next three coins, but who do you think should be chosen to be featured alongside Stephen Hawking?
Secure the BRAND NEW Stephen Hawking 50p for just £4.50 (+p&p)
This coin won’t be entering circulation, but you can add it to your collection in superior collector’s quality.