Atlantic Salmon 50p (2023 to today)
The Atlantic Salmon 50p is the everyday 50p reverse from 2023 to today. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2023 to today
- Circulation mintage
- 2,200,000
- Value band
- Face value
- 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 Atlantic Salmon 50p worth?
The everyday Atlantic Salmon 50p is worth face value in circulated condition. The exceptions are the dates struck only for collector sets (2024), which were never issued to banks and turn up in change only when someone spends a set coin.
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 Atlantic Salmon 50p rare?
- No. 2.2 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many Atlantic Salmon 50p coins were made?
- 2,200,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the Atlantic Salmon 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 Atlantic Salmon 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
The story of the Atlantic Salmon 50p
When King Charles III came to the throne in 2022, the Royal Mint began working on new definitive designs to replace Matthew Dent's Royal Shield series. Instead of a heraldic puzzle, the new set takes the natural world as its theme, reflecting the King's long-standing interest in conservation. Each of the eight coins from the penny to the two pound coin carries a British animal or plant. The 50p features the Atlantic salmon, sharing the set with creatures such as the puffin, the red squirrel and the hazel dormouse.
The salmon is a fitting choice. It spends years at sea before returning to the river where it was born to spawn, swimming upstream and leaping weirs and waterfalls along the way. Wild Atlantic salmon numbers in British rivers have fallen sharply over recent decades, which made the fish a natural pick for a coin set meant to draw attention to wildlife that needs protecting. Rivers in Scotland, Wales and England have long been famous for their salmon runs.
The design began appearing in 2023, carrying Martin Jennings's portrait of King Charles III on the obverse. The coin keeps the same size and shape as every 50p since 1997: seven-sided cupronickel, 27.3 mm across. New coins enter circulation only as banks and post offices need them. With plenty of 50ps already in use, the early runs were small. The 2023 circulation mintage was only 200,000. None were struck for circulation in 2024. A larger run of 2,000,000 followed in 2025. Royal Shield and Britannia 50ps of the smaller size remain legal tender, so salmon coins circulate alongside them and will take many years to become the most common 50p in change.
How to recognize it
The reverse shows an Atlantic salmon leaping out of the water, with the value 50 PENCE alongside. It looks nothing like the Royal Shield or Britannia, so recognizing it is easy. There is no shield and no Britannia, just the leaping fish and the lettering. The obverse carries Martin Jennings's portrait of King Charles III, uncrowned and facing left, which instantly separates it from any 50p issued under Queen Elizabeth II. Check the date on your coin, since the year makes a big difference to how scarce it is: a 2023 coin is far harder to find than a 2025. The coin is the standard 27.3 mm seven-sided cupronickel 50p used since 1997.
Over the run the other side carried the portraits of the monarch by Martin Jennings, so the date and portrait together tell you which year you have.
Atlantic Salmon 50p by the numbers
Across 2 circulation dates the Royal Mint struck 2.2 million Atlantic Salmon 50p coins. The biggest year was 2025 with 2 million; the smallest circulation year was 2023 with 200,000, about 10 times fewer.
One date was struck only for collector sets: 2024. Those are the dates to look for in change, because every one found there was spent from a set.
What to check on your Atlantic Salmon 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the Atlantic Salmon described above; 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 design.
The years data is what matters here. The 2023 coin had a circulation mintage of just 200,000, one of the lowest for any circulating 50p. That makes it a coin to look for. No salmon 50ps were struck for circulation in 2024, so that date only comes from collector sets. The 2025 coin is more common, with 2,000,000 struck. A 2023 found in change can bring a collector premium, especially in sharp condition. Bright, unmarked coins sold in sets have clean fields; circulated ones show wear on the salmon's scales and fins first.
Atlantic Salmon 50p mintage by year
| Year | Circulation mintage | Portrait | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 200,000 | Jennings | 27.3 mm |
| 2024 | Sets only | Jennings | 27.3 mm |
| 2025 | 2,000,000 | Jennings | 27.3 mm |
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2023 to today |
| Circulation mintage | 2,200,000 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.0 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Portrait | Jennings |
Other 2023 50p coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 Coronation of King Charles III 50p | 5,000,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2023 Atlantic Salmon 50p rare?
Yes, by modern standards. Only 200,000 were struck for circulation in 2023, which makes it one of the lowest circulating 50p mintages. A circulated example can bring a collector premium, especially if it is sharp and unscratched.
Were any Atlantic Salmon 50ps made in 2024?
No circulation coins carry the 2024 date. Coins dated 2024 come only from Royal Mint collector sets, so you should not expect to find one in change. Circulation production resumed in 2025, with 2,000,000 struck.
Why is there a salmon on the new 50p?
The King Charles III definitive coins feature British wildlife, reflecting the King's interest in conservation. The Atlantic salmon was chosen for the 50p. Wild salmon numbers in British rivers have declined sharply, so the coin also draws attention to a species under pressure.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.