2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p
The 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p is a circulating 50p with 5 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2022
- Circulation mintage
- 5,000,070
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- Osborne Ross
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 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p worth?
5 million were made, so the 2022 Platinum Jubilee 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 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p rare?
- No. 5 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p coins were made?
- 5,000,070 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p?
- The design is credited to Osborne Ross.
- What is the 2022 Platinum Jubilee 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 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p was made
Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne on 6 February 1952, when her father King George VI died. In February 2022 she became the first British monarch to reach 70 years on the throne, a milestone known as a Platinum Jubilee. The celebrations peaked in early June 2022 with an extended bank holiday weekend of parades, concerts and street parties across the country. Sadly, the Queen died in September the same year, so for many people the Jubilee became their final chance to celebrate her reign together.
The Royal Mint marked the occasion with a range of commemorative coins. This 50p was the one meant for everyday change. Its circulation mintage was 5,000,070, a figure that happens to end in 70. That is a moderate number for a modern 50p: not scarce, but less abundant than many earlier commemoratives. Because it was one of the last 50ps issued with the Queen's portrait during her lifetime, the coin has become a popular keepsake for people who want something from the end of her reign.
How to recognize it
Osborne Ross's design is simple and bold: a large number 70 with the Queen's royal cypher, the EIIR monogram she used throughout her reign. The large numerals fill much of the reverse, so it is hard to mistake for any other 50p. Check for the 2022 date. The obverse carries Jody Clark's portrait of the Queen, rather than the King Charles III portrait that appeared later the same year on the memorial 50p. That difference matters, because the two 2022 royal coins are easily confused in a quick glance at your change. Like all modern 50ps it is seven-sided cupronickel, 27.3 mm across.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p ranks 43rd lowest of 76 circulating 50p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2023 Coronation of King Charles III 50p (5 million); the next more common is the 1998 NHS 50p (5 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1973 EEC Hands 50p with 89.8 million, about 18 times as many. The scarcest is the 1992 Single Market 50p with 109,000, 46 times fewer than this one.
2022 brought 2 other circulating 50p designs: the Pride (5 million) and the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial (9.6 million). 1 of them had a smaller run.
What to check on your 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the Platinum Jubilee described above and carry the date 2022; 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.
With 5,000,070 struck for circulation, the Platinum Jubilee 50p is fairly easy to come by. Circulated ones are face value coins. Its popularity as a souvenir means a clean, bright coin is a nice keeper, especially if the crisp edges of the 70 are intact. The Royal Mint also sold the design in brilliant uncirculated packs. Pack coins are bright and unmarked, with sharp detail on the cypher, while circulated coins show rubbing on the numerals and small knocks. Do not confuse the coin with privately made medals sold for the Jubilee.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2022 |
| Circulation mintage | 5,000,070 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.0 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Osborne Ross |
| Portrait | Clark |
Other 2022 50p coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Pride 50p | 5,000,000 | Face value |
| 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Memorial 50p | 9,600,000 | Face value |
| 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2022 Winnie the Pooh: Eeyore 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2022 Winnie the Pooh: Kanga and Roo 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2022 BBC Centenary 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
Frequently asked questions
What does the 70 on the Platinum Jubilee 50p mean?
The 70 marks 70 years since Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne in February 1952. She was the first British monarch to reach a Platinum Jubilee. The coin also carries her royal cypher.
How many Platinum Jubilee 50p coins were made?
The Royal Mint struck 5,000,070 for circulation in 2022. That is a moderate mintage for a modern 50p, so the coin is easy to find and a circulated one is a face value coin.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.