2000 Fifty Pence

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Two different 50p coins were issued in 2000. The standard Britannia design and a commemorative coin to mark the 150th anniversary of the public libraries.

The Standard Design:

Obverse Type 4 (bust design by Ian Rank-Broadley):

50p2000obv

Reverse Type 3 (design by Christopher Ironside):

50p2000rev

Mintage for Circulation: 27,915,500.

Collectability/Scarcity: 1 (for scale details see here)

The story behind the design:

The obverse portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley was used on all UK coinage from 1998 to 2014 and also on some coins dated 2015. It was the fourth portrait of the Queen used on coinage.

The reverse design, by Christopher Ironside, shows Briannia seated. Britannia had appeared on at least one British coin denomination since the 1670s, and in fact long before that there were Roman coins showing the word ‘BRITANNIA’ and the helmeted female representation of Britannia to celebrate the Roman capture of Britain.

 

Commemorative 50p coin, Type 6: (info on coin type numbers here)

Obverse Type 4 (bust design by Ian Rank-Broadley):

50p2000obv

Reverse Type (design by Mary Milner Dickens):

50p2000librariesrev

Mintage for Circulation: 11,263,000.

Collectability/Scarcity: 1 (for scale details see here)

The story behind the design:

The obverse portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley was used on all UK coinage from 1998 to 2014 and also on some coins dated 2015. It was the fourth portrait of the Queen used on coinage.

The reverse design, by Mary Milner Dickens shows an opened book on top of a pillared public library building with the dates 1850 and 2000 above it. The Public Libraries Act was passed in 1850 to provide education to the public:

http://www.politics.co.uk/reference/public-libraries

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