The british decimal fraction fifty pence coin ( often shortened to 50p in write and actor’s line ) is a unit of currency equalling one one-half of a pound sterling. It is a seven-sided coin formed as an equilateral-curve heptagon, [ 1 ] or Reuleaux polygon, a curl of constant width, meaning that the diameter is constant across any bisection. Its obverse has featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II since the coin ‘s introduction in 1969. Four unlike portraits of the Queen have been used, with the latest design by Jody Clark being introduced in 2015. The second and stream reverse, featuring a segment of the Royal Shield, was introduced in 2008. As of March 2014 there were an estimated 948 million 50p coins in circulation. [ 2 ]
50p coins are legal tender for amounts up to the kernel of £10 when offered in repayment of a debt ; however, the coin ‘s legal sensitive status is not normally relevant for everyday transactions .
design [edit ]
In 1967 the Deputy Master of the Royal Mint approached the Decimal Currency Board to ask for their advice on the insertion of a new coin. The 10 shilling note then in use was lasting entirely five months and it had been suggested that a coin, which could last fifty years, would be more economic. The trouble with this was that all coins are arranged in “ tiers ”, each mint in a tier having the lapp weight-to-value ratio so that a base of mix coins could be weighed to ascertain the value so long as they were all bronze, all silver medal, etc. Each coin was identified within its tier by its size and each tier had to be able of being identified by sight and tint. This was achieved in the then existing sets by the consumption of different materials ( “ tan ”, “ administration ” and “ silver ” ) with the bronze coins having plain rims, the nickel-brass threepenny bite being 12-sided and the flatware coins having milled rims. If the 10-shilling mint was to be made in the like tier as the silver coins it would have to be twice the weight of the Crown ( then and now alone in use for commemorative pieces ) and it was generally agreed that that would make it very unpopular and expensive. It would therefore have to be in a new tier of its own. The Mint could not find a suitable metal which was sufficiently different in color to the existing coins and which would not tarnish. This last point was thought to be important because the new coin would be the most valuable coin in general circulation in the world ( equivalent to £9.28 in 2020 ). It consequently had to be a unlike shape ; assorted methods had been used overseas to overcome this problem but none were without drawbacks. A hole through the mint did unacceptable things to the Queen ‘s head ( a legal necessity on british coins ), and wavy-edged, flat-edged or square coins could not be used in the coin-handling machinery which was then coming into increasing function in diligence, trust and vending. To be used in a vending or sorting machine a coin would have to roll under graveness and be adequate to of being measured without being presented in a limited manner, in other words it needed a constant width at whichever angle it was measured. The technical Member ( and the only engineer ) on the Decimal Currency Board was Hugh Conway, at that time President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Managing Director of Bristol Siddeley Engines, Bristol. He had found in a mathematical textbook a recipe for a non-circular human body of constant width and asked the design function at Patchway, near Bristol, which normally worked on the engines for aircraft such as Concorde, Vulcan and Harrier to draw out the form. however, this turned out to be a wavy-edged form with re-entrant sides which would not roll and which could not be measured easily. A couturier, Colin Lewis, suggested a much simple condition which in its basic phase is an equilateral triangulum with a little traffic circle centred on each vertex and with a larger circular arch centred on each apex but digressive to each of the two opposite little circles. Wherever it was measured, the width of this form was one little spoke plus one big radius. ( The small radius was not strictly necessity to the geometry, but made the supreme headquarters allied powers europe more practical by removing inconvenient shrill points and reducing the rate of wear, and therefore change of size, in handling ). The count of corners could be any leftover issue greater than one. A string was made to illustrate the proposal which was accepted by Hugh Conway. He chose seven sides as a compromise between excessively revolutionary a supreme headquarters allied powers europe, which might not be satisfactory to the public, and having besides many sides, which would make a determine visually difficult to differentiate from a circle. The human body was drawn out by David Brown and samples made from stainless steel steel by the Model Shop, together with a section of lucite transmit with a deflect to demonstrate that the “ coin ” would roll around corners and drop through gauging slots. The legend “ 50 ” was photo-etched ( from a master drawn by Ray Gooding ) on the faces of the samples since it had already been decided that the new coin would be the inaugural coin of the raw Decimal series. When the Decimal Currency Board met none of the other members had any hypnotism to make, so when the samples were produced the idea was accepted without opposition. The form of the master 50p coin was used for the 20p mint, introduced in 1982 .
standard reverse : 1982–2008 The original reverse of the mint, designed by Christopher Ironside, and used from 1969 to 2008, is a seat Britannia alongside a leo, holding an olive branch in her left hand and a trident in her right, accompanied by either new PENCE ( 1969–1981 ) or FIFTY PENCE ( 1982–2008 ) above Britannia, with the numeral 50 underneath the seated figure. To date, three different obverses have been used. In all cases, the dedication is ELIZABETH II D.G.REG.F.D. 2013, [ 3 ] where 2013 is replaced by the year of mint ; the Benjamin Britten coin ( 2013 ) additionally has the denomination, FIFTY PENCE, on the obverse, before the year ( as the commemorative obverse omits the denomination wholly ). [ 4 ] As with all raw decimal fraction currency, until 1984 the portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin appeared on the obverse, [ 5 ] in which the Queen wears the ‘Girls of Great Britain and Ireland ‘ Tiara. between 1985 and 1997 the portrayal by Raphael Maklouf was used, [ 5 ] in which the Queen wears the George IV State Diadem.
Read more: Coin Value: Italy 100 Lire 1955 to 1989
In 1997 the 50p coin was reduced in both diameter and thickness and the older coins were removed from circulation. The raw coin was introduced on 1 September 1997. The old larger mint was withdrawn on 28 February 1998. The design remained unchanged. [ 6 ] From 1998 to 2015 the portrayal by Ian Rank-Broadley has been used, [ 5 ] again featuring the tiara, with a signature-mark IRB below the portrait. In 2008 the obverse purpose was rotated slightly, to match the new reverse design which is displayed with the heptagon point down rather than point up. As of June 2015, coins bearing the portrait by Jody Clark have been seen in circulation. In August 2005 the Royal Mint launched a competition to find new rearward designs for all mobilize coins aside from the £2 coin. [ 7 ] The achiever, announced in April 2008, was Matthew Dent, whose designs were gradually introduced into the circulating british neologism from mid-2008. [ 8 ] The designs for the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p and 50p coins describe sections of the Royal Shield that form the wholly harbor when placed together. The carapace in its entirety was featured on the now-obsolete round £1 mint. The 50p mint depicts the lowest point of the Royal Shield, with the words FIFTY PENCE below the point of the shield. The coin ‘s obverse remains unchanged .
Variations [edit ]
In addition to the standard designs there have been respective variant reverse designs used on the 50p mint to commemorate crucial events. [ 9 ] These are summarised in the table below .
There are besides 29 different variants not listed here which were minted in 2011 in celebration of the 2012 Summer Olympics. [ 15 ] The succeed coins were produced by the Royal Mint as commemorative releases merely, without being released into circulation :
Status as legal tender [edit ]
50p coins are legal tender for amounts up to and including £10. [ 18 ] [ 19 ] however, in the UK, “ legal tender ” has a identical particular and narrow mean which relates only to the refund of debt to a creditor, not to everyday shopping or other transactions. [ 20 ] Specifically, coins of especial denominations are said to be “ legal tender ” when a creditor must by law accept them in redemption of a debt. [ 21 ] The term does not mean – as is much thought – that a shopkeeper has to accept a particular type of currency in payment. [ 20 ] A shopkeeper is under no duty to accept any specific character of payment, whether legal sensitive or not ; conversely they have the free will to accept any requital type they wish. [ 19 ]
Mintages [edit ]
Mintage figures below represent the number of coins of each date released for circulation. Mint Sets have been produced since 1982; where mintages on or after that date indicate ‘none’ or ‘proof only’, there are examples contained within those sets.
| Machin portrait |
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| Maklouf portrait |
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size reduced
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| Rank-Broadley portrait |
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| Jody Clark portrait |
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| London 2012 Olympic sporting series |
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