The 50p coin was introduced in 1969 to replace the Bank of England 10 Shilling note. It was one of only three decimal coins to have been made and circulated before decimalisation took place fully in 1971.
A huge number of different reverse designs have been used on the 50p coin over the years, sporadically at first and increasingly over recent years, with a whopping 29 different designs issued for the London 2012 Olympics and 21 different coins in 2019 alone.
Up to and including 2022 there are 155 different 50p coins (many of which, especially in recent years, were not or will not be issued for circulation). At least, that’s what I make it, but it is quite complex and complicated further by the ‘Strike Your Own’ coins, which are very often the same as other types, just with different packaging – some view them as different coins! I haven’t even counted the ‘special’ versions like the silver proof for example (which are very often colour printed)
Only 50p coins of the smaller format, dated 1997 to date are current legal tender.
Specifications of the current 50p coin are shown at the bottom of this page.
1969 – 1997 Larger 50p (coins no longer in use)
Details of all 50p coins are shown on separate pages, linked to below (click on text to see details for that date. Click on the image to see a larger version of that design):
UK 50p coin specifications:
Size: 27.3mm
Width:
Metal composition: 75% copper, 25% nickel (referred to as cupro-nickel or copper-nickel)
Weight: 8 grammes
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