The Royal Mint celebrates 50 years of the 50 pence piece with special set of coins

The Royal Mint has issued a new collection of five coins celebrating 50 years of the seven sided 50 pence piece.
Royal Mint
Bonnie Christian14 January 2019

A special set of coins has been released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the seven-sided 50 pence piece.

The coins, unveiled by the Royal Mint, commemorate events including the 250th anniversary of the founding of Kew Gardens and Roger Bannister’s world record sub-four-minute mile.

There is also a reissue of the previous ‘new pence’ 50p design and two coins celebrating the centenaries of the Scouts and Girl Guides.

The Kew Gardens coin is a collector's item because of its low mintage of just 210,000 - making it the rarest 50p design in circulation.

It was first issued 10 years ago and features the landmark Great Pagoda encircled by vines.

Sportsman and neurologist Mr Bannister is depicted mi-stride on the coin as he cross the finish line at the Iffley Road track in Oxford in three minutes and 59.4 seconds in 1964.

One hundred years of the Scouting movement was marked by a coin featuring the World Scout Emblem alongside the iconic motto "be prepared".

The fifth coin in the set is a version of the 50p that was in circulation for 40 years before being replaced by a Matthew Dent design in 2008.

The "new pence" 50p featured Christopher Ironside's depiction of the national icon of Britannia seated beside a lion while she rests on her shield.

Nicola Howell, director of the consumer business at The Royal Mint, said: "Since the 50p entered UK circulation 50 years ago, the distinctive design has become a popular addition to the nation's pockets and wallets.

"Over the years, the commemorative editions that The Royal Mint has released to mark British cultural and historical highlights have also become incredibly popular sparking something of a collecting craze.

"We're delighted to be revealing the special 50p British Culture commemorative coin set to mark this historic anniversary, which features some of the nation's most loved 50 pence pieces."

The commemorative 50p set will be available to purchase in a range of precious metal and base proof finishes, with prices starting from £90.

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