1992 Britannia 50p Coin
The 1992 Britannia 50p is a Royal Mint collector issue that was never released into circulation. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1992
- Issued as
- Collector packs and sets only
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel)
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1992 Britannia 50p worth?
No 1992 50p coin was issued for circulation: the Royal Mint struck that date only for its annual collector sets. A set coin that was spent can turn up in change, which is why 1992 is a date collectors look for. Expect a small premium, more for coins still in the original set.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with no scratches
- A sets-only date or a low circulation year
- A genuine mint error
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1992 Britannia 50p rare?
- It is scarcer than most 50p coins. It was never issued into circulation, so most examples are in collector packs.
- How many 1992 50p coins were made?
- None were made for circulation. The Mint sold this design only in packs and sets.
- What is the 1992 Britannia 50p made of?
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). It weighs 13.5 g and measures 30 mm, with a seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) shape.
- Is the 1992 Britannia 50p still legal tender?
- No. The original 30 mm 50p stopped being legal tender in 1998, after the smaller coin arrived in 1997.
The 1992 50p coin in context
No Britannia 50ps were struck for circulation in 1992. The date exists only in the Royal Mint's collector sets. It sits in the middle of a long sets-only run that stretched from 1986 to 1993, when the country's large 50ps were still the ones from the 1970s and early 1980s and banks had no need for more. Demand for new coins went to the smaller denominations instead. The 10p was shrunk in 1992, two years after the 5p. Collectors who want the date have to look in the annual proof and uncirculated sets.
The year is better remembered for a different 50p. To mark the UK presidency of the European Council and the completion of the single market, the Royal Mint issued a commemorative 50p dual-dated 1992 and 1993, showing stars around a conference table. That coin has its own page. The regular Britannia 50p of 1992 is quieter: a set coin that most people have never seen, made for completeness rather than for change. It was still the large 30 mm size, five years before the smaller coin arrived.
How to recognize it
Raphael Maklouf's portrait shows the Queen in the George IV State Diadem, with the initials RDM below. The reverse is Ironside's Britannia, seated beside her lion with a trident, olive branch and Union Flag shield, under FIFTY PENCE with the numeral 50 below. It is struck in cupronickel at 30 mm and 13.5 g, unchanged since 1969. Set coins are usually sharper than anything from change, with clean fields. Proof versions from the proof sets have a mirror-like surface. Because set coins were handled carefully, the fine detail on Britannia's helmet and the lion's mane is usually crisp. Uncirculated set coins have a normal bright finish instead.
The other side carries Raphael Maklouf's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1985 to 1997.
1992 Britannia 50p by the numbers
No 1992 50p coins were struck for circulation, so none were paid out by banks.
What to check on your 1992 Britannia 50p
- Confirm the date. 1992 50p coins came only from collector sets, so a genuine one is often in very good condition.
- Check the size: this date is the original 30 mm coin, which weighs 13.5 g, with seven curved sides.
- Look at the surfaces under a light. Coins from sets have unbroken luster and color; change-worn coins are dull and scuffed.
- Never clean it. Rubbing or dipping strips the original color and leaves fine scratches.
A 1992 large 50p only comes out of a set, so finding one loose usually means someone broke a set up. Collectors pay a small premium for a clean example to complete the large Britannia date run. Because it is no longer legal tender, condition is everything: a coin with scratches or toning from careless storage is much less appealing. Check that the coin you have is the Britannia, not the dual-dated commemorative. Coins kept in old plastic holders can tone unevenly, so look at both sides.
Maklouf portrait and the end of the large 50p (1985 to 1997)
Raphael Maklouf's portrait arrived on all British coins in 1985, showing the Queen wearing the George IV State Diadem, with his initials RDM under the bust. The reverse stayed the same: Ironside's seated Britannia with FIFTY PENCE above and the numeral 50 below, on the same 30 mm, 13.5 g cupronickel coin. What changed was demand. The country already held enormous numbers of large 50ps from the 1970s and early 1980s, so the Royal Mint struck very few new ones for change in these years.
In fact 1985 is the only date of this era with large 50ps made for circulation. Only 682,103 were struck. Every other large date from 1986 to 1993, plus 1995, 1996 and the large 1997, came only in collector sets. The year 1994 went to the D-Day commemorative design instead. The large coin had long drawn complaints for being heavy and bulky. In September 1997 the Royal Mint replaced it with a smaller version, 27.3 mm across and 8 g, with the same seven sides and the same Britannia. A huge run of the small coin replaced the old ones in a matter of months.
The large 50p ceased to be legal tender at the end of February 1998, so Maklouf large coins can only be kept, not spent. Small 1997 coins are still legal tender and turn up in change today. Measure before you do anything else: 30 mm means a large coin, 27.3 mm a small one. Large Maklouf coins found loose in old jars almost always started life in a broken set, since so few of them were ever paid out by banks.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 1992 |
| Circulation mintage | None (collector issue) |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 13.5 g |
| Diameter | 30 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Portrait | Maklouf |
Frequently asked questions
Was the 1992 Britannia 50p ever in circulation?
No. None were struck for change in 1992. The coin was made only for Royal Mint collector sets, as was every large Britannia 50p from 1986 to 1993. Any example you find came from a set.
Is the 1992 50p with stars the same coin?
No. The stars design is a commemorative for the UK presidency of the European Council, dual-dated 1992 and 1993. The regular 1992 coin shows Britannia with FIFTY PENCE and only the single date.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.