2008 Britannia 50p Coin
The 2008 Britannia 50p is a 50p coin struck for circulation with 3.5 million made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2008
- Circulation mintage
- 3,500,000
- 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 2008 Britannia 50p worth?
At 3.5 million, the 2008 Britannia 50p has a smaller run than most 50p coins, so collectors pay a small premium for it, especially in uncirculated condition. Well circulated examples sit close to face value.
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 2008 Britannia 50p rare?
- It is scarcer than most 50p coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 2008 Britannia 50p coins were made?
- 3,500,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2008 Britannia 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 2008 Britannia 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p is legal tender in the UK.
The 2008 50p coin in context
The 2008 Britannia 50p is the final appearance of Christopher Ironside's design, struck before Matthew Dent's Royal Shield took over. Only 3,500,000 were made for circulation, the lowest figure of any small Britannia 50p and a fraction of the 456 million small coins of 1997. That figure makes it the scarcest Britannia found in change today. Compared with 11,200,000 in 2007, it was less than a third of the year before. Most went straight into circulation without fanfare.
Britannia's departure caused a stir. She had appeared on British coins for centuries and had been on the 50p since 1969, so many people objected when she was dropped from the circulating coinage. The 2008 coins became a farewell, though most went into tills and pockets without anyone noticing at the time. Later in the same year the Royal Shield 50p arrived in much larger numbers. So 2008 is the only year with two different regular 50p reverses. Britannia did not vanish from British coins entirely, since she still appears on Royal Mint bullion coins. Collectors now see the 2008 as the closing chapter of a design that lasted almost forty years on the 50p.
How to recognize it
It is the same coin as every small Britannia before it. Ironside's seated Britannia has her lion, trident, olive branch and Union Flag shield, with FIFTY PENCE above and the numeral 50 below. Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of the Queen in a tiara is on the obverse. The coin is cupronickel, 27.3 mm across and 8 g. To tell it from a 2008 Royal Shield, simply look at the reverse: Britannia or the shield. The design had been reduced in 1997 but otherwise stayed the same from 1969. Rank-Broadley's initials IRB sit below the bust. On a worn coin, the date is the first thing to check.
The other side carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1998 to 2015.
2008 Britannia 50p by the numbers
By the numbers, the 2008 Britannia 50p ranks 4th lowest of 34 50p dates and varieties from 1969 to 2023. The next scarcer is the 2017 Royal Shield 50p (1.8 million); the next more common is the 2022 Royal Shield 50p (9.5 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1997 Small Britannia 50p with 456.4 million, about 130 times as many. The scarcest is the 2023 Atlantic Salmon 50p with 200,000, 18 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 2008 output was 3.2 times fewer than 2007 and 9.2 times fewer than 2012. Other 2008 regular 50p coins: 2008 Royal Shield 50p (22.7 million).
Over the 2000s the Mint produced 283.1 million regular 50p coins across 11 dates and varieties; the 2008 Britannia 50p accounts for 1.2% of that.
What to check on your 2008 Britannia 50p
- Confirm the date and the variety (britannia). Most dates are common, so the date and any variety decide whether a coin is worth setting aside.
- Check the size: this date is the 27.3 mm coin introduced in 1997, which weighs 8.0 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.
This is the small Britannia date to look for. With just 3,500,000 made, a sharp example draws a collector premium and even worn ones are worth setting aside. It is the natural last coin in a Britannia date run. Check that the date really reads 2008, then look at the condition of Britannia's helmet and knee. Worn coins still turn up in change, since the small Britannia remains legal tender. A sharp one is worth keeping in a holder, where it sits well beside a Royal Shield coin of the same year.
Royal Shield 50p (2008 to 2022)
Britannia's last batch of 50ps was dated 2008. Later that year Matthew Dent's Royal Shield took over, the winning entry in an open Royal Mint competition to redesign every coin from 1p to the pound. Each coin from 1p to 50p carries one section of the shield from the Royal Arms, so placing the six together rebuilds the full shield, while the pound coin shows it whole. The 50p keeps the 27.3 mm, 8 g cupronickel blank of 1997. It reads FIFTY PENCE in words, with no numeral.
Two portraits appear in this era. Ian Rank-Broadley's runs until 2015, when Jody Clark's portrait, the fifth of the reign, took over, so 2015 exists with both. Output swung wildly. Commemorative 50ps took over the circulation role in many years, from Kew Gardens and the 2011 Olympic sports designs to Beatrix Potter's characters, which left no Royal Shield 50ps made for change in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018 or 2021. Those dates come only from collector sets.
The years that were issued vary from just 1,800,000 in 2017 to 122,000,000 in 2019. Card payments grew quickly through these years and banks returned plenty of used coins, so new orders often stayed small. Every Royal Shield 50p is legal tender. When sorting, check the date first and then the portrait: a sets-only date in your change came from a broken set, while a 2017 or 2022 is worth putting aside. Most others are face value coins.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2008 |
| Circulation mintage | 3,500,000 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.0 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Other 2008 50p coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 Royal Shield 50p Coin | 22,747,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
How many 2008 Britannia 50ps were made?
The Royal Mint struck 3,500,000 for circulation. That is the lowest figure of any small Britannia 50p and the final date of the design, made just before the Royal Shield 50p arrived later in 2008.
Is there a 2008 50p with the Royal Shield too?
Yes. The Royal Shield 50p was introduced later in 2008, with 22,747,000 made for circulation. Both carry the date 2008, so check the reverse to see which one you have.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.