UK 50p Year by Year: Every Regular Date Since 1969

Three designs since 1969

The 50p arrived on 14 October 1969 to replace the ten shilling note. It was the first seven-sided coin, with curved sides that give it the same width in every direction so it works in machines. The reverse tells you which era you have.

• 1969 to 2008: Christopher Ironside's seated Britannia, reading NEW PENCE to 1981 and FIFTY PENCE from 1982
• 2008 to 2022: Matthew Dent's section of the Royal Shield, with FIFTY PENCE in words
• 2023: the Atlantic Salmon, with Martin Jennings' portrait of King Charles III

Every 50p date

Sets only means no coins of that date were issued for circulation.

The 1997 size change

The original 50p was 30 mm across and weighed 13.5 g. People found it heavy, so in September 1997 the Royal Mint introduced a smaller coin, 27.3 mm and 8 g, with the same seven sides and the same Britannia. The large coin ceased to be legal tender at the end of February 1998. To replace it, 456,364,100 small coins were dated 1997, the largest figure of any regular 50p.

That makes 1997 a year with two coins. The large 1997 came only in collector sets, while the small 1997 is common. Measure a large Britannia before anything else, since every large date is now a keepsake rather than spendable money.

The scarce dates

Leaving aside the sets-only years, these are the regular 50ps struck for change in the smallest numbers.

• 2023 Atlantic Salmon: 200,000, the lowest of any regular 50p
• 1985 large Britannia: 682,103, the only large Maklouf Britannia made for change
• 2017 Royal Shield: 1,800,000, the lowest of the design
• 2008 Britannia: 3,500,000, the final year of Britannia
• 2022 Royal Shield: 9,500,000, the last of the Queen
• 2013 Royal Shield: 10,301,000 and 2007 Britannia: 11,200,000

Years made only for sets

In many years no regular 50ps were struck for circulation at all. Early on, the vast 1969 order of 188,400,000 kept banks supplied for years. Later, commemorative 50ps often did the circulation job instead. Those dates exist only in proof and uncirculated sets.

• Large Britannia: 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975 and 1984
• Large Britannia with Maklouf's portrait: every year from 1986 to 1993, then 1995, 1996 and the large 1997
• Royal Shield: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018 and 2021

Missing years and split years

Two years have no regular 50p at all. In 1973 the hands design for joining the European Economic Community took the place of Britannia. In 1994 the D-Day coin did the same. Both have their own pages with the other commemoratives.

Three years split in two. 1997 has the large and small coins. 2008 has a final Britannia batch and the first Royal Shield coins, with 22,747,000 of the new design. 2015 has both Rank-Broadley and Clark portraits, with 20,101,000 and 39,300,000 made. Check the reverse or the initials under the bust to see which you have.

What to keep from change

Keep any 2023 salmon, any 2017 or 2022 shield coin and any 2008 Britannia. Among old large coins, look for a 1985 and the sets-only dates. Everything else is a face value coin when worn, though a bright first-year 1969, 1997 small or 2008 shield makes a nice marker in a date run.

Frequently asked questions