2000 Public Libraries 50p
The 2000 Public Libraries 50p is a circulating 50p with 11.3 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2000
- Circulation mintage
- 11,263,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- Mary Milner Dickens
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 2000 Public Libraries 50p worth?
11.3 million were made, so the 2000 Public Libraries 50p is easy to find. A circulated one is worth face value; collectors pay a little more only for uncirculated coins and coins still in their original Royal Mint pack.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with no scratches or contact marks
- Original Royal Mint pack or presentation folder
- A genuine mint error, confirmed by an expert
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 2000 Public Libraries 50p rare?
- No. 11.3 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2000 Public Libraries 50p coins were made?
- 11,263,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2000 Public Libraries 50p?
- The design is credited to Mary Milner Dickens.
- What is the 2000 Public Libraries 50p made of?
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). It weighs 8.0 g and measures 27.3 mm, with a seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) shape.
- Is the 2000 Public Libraries 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2000 Public Libraries 50p was made
The Public Libraries Act 1850, steered through Parliament by the MP William Ewart, gave towns in England and Wales the power to open free public libraries funded from local taxes. It was a slow start, since councils had to choose to use the power and spending was tightly limited, but the act laid the foundation for the network of local libraries that grew up over the following decades. In 2000, its 150th anniversary, the Royal Mint issued a 50p in its honor.
Over 11 million were made for circulation, a large number for a special 50p, so this coin was common in change in the early 2000s. It is the work of Mary Milner Dickens, who had designed the 1992 Single Market coin and would go on to design the 2003 Suffragettes 50p. Her design mixes old and new: a grand classical building with a small modern twist hidden in its roof. The coin arrived in the millennium year, when the role of libraries was widening to include computers, music and other media alongside books.
How to recognize it
The pages of an open book turn above a classical library building with columns. The words PUBLIC LIBRARIES run across the building, while the anniversary dates 1850 and 2000 and the value 50 PENCE sit up with the book. Look closely at the triangular pediment over the columns: the small circles inside it represent compact discs, a nod to libraries lending music as well as books by 2000. Flip it and you'll see Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of the Queen. The coin measures 27.3 mm with a smooth edge. The book and building together make a tall, stacked design that's quick to spot. Mary Milner Dickens designed it, her second commemorative 50p.
The other side carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1998 to 2015.
2000 Public Libraries 50p by the numbers
In mintage terms the 2000 Public Libraries 50p ranks 71st lowest of 76 circulating 50p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2020 Diversity Built Britain 50p (10.3 million); the next more common is the 2006 Victoria Cross 50p (12.1 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1973 EEC Hands 50p with 89.8 million, about 8 times as many. The scarcest is the 1992 Single Market 50p with 109,000, 103 times fewer than this one.
It was the only circulating commemorative 50p dated 2000. The regular Britannia reverse accounted for another 27.9 million that year.
What to check on your 2000 Public Libraries 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the Public Libraries described above and carry the date 2000; similar designs from other years are a common mix-up.
- Weigh it if you can: a genuine 27.3 mm 50p weighs 8.0 g. Copies are often light, slightly soft in detail or the wrong color.
- Ignore painted or colored versions sold online as special editions. Color added after the coin left the Mint does not make it a Royal Mint issue and does not add collector value.
- Look at the surfaces under a bright light. Coins straight from a pack have unbroken luster; change-worn coins show scuffs on the high points of the portrait and design.
At over 11 million, the Public Libraries coin is one of the more plentiful commemorative 50ps, so circulated examples sit firmly at face value. It's a good choice for a beginner's album because it is easy to find and has an interesting story. Condition is everything if you want something better. The fine lettering on the building and the discs in the pediment are the first details to wear away. A coin kept from new will show crisp page edges in the book and clear lettering, while one that has spent years in tills looks flat and dull.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2000 |
| Circulation mintage | 11,263,000 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.0 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Mary Milner Dickens |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Public Libraries 50p rare?
No. More than 11 million were struck for circulation in 2000, which is high for a commemorative 50p. Circulated coins are common, so only an exceptionally sharp, uncirculated example would draw any interest beyond face value.
What are the circles on the library 50p?
The small discs in the pediment of the library building represent compact discs. They show that by 2000 public libraries lent music and other media as well as books, a modern touch on an otherwise classical scene.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.