50 New Pence - Elizabeth II 2nd portrait (1969–1981)

One row for each year the 50 New Pence - Elizabeth II 2nd portrait was struck. Prices are medians of verified sold listings matched to that year from the listing: circulated is worn condition up to Extremely Fine, uncirculated is About Uncirculated or better. A count in brackets means fewer than three sales behind the figure; a grey figure marked "type" is the median across every year, shown where that year has no sale of its own yet; years with no sales yet fill in as sales are recorded. Most types have been searched year by year only since October 2026, so later years are still filling in. Use the grade table below for a price by condition across all years.

About the 1969 50 New Pence - Elizabeth II

The 1969 50 New Pence - Elizabeth II is a circulating 50 pence coin issued from 1969 to 1981, struck in copper-nickel (75% Cu, 25% Ni). It weighs 13.5g and measures 30mm across. Reverse design: A figure of Britannia seated beside a lion, with a shield resting against her right side, holding a trident in her right hand and an olive branch in her left, denomination below and legend above.

Mintage figures are recorded for 8 years between 1969 and 1981, 594,917,000 coins in all. 1970 is the scarcest date, with 19,461,000 struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1998), so its value is to collectors only.

Common questions

History and design

The 50p was the third decimal coin to reach the public, after the 5p and 10p. The Royal Mint Museum records that it joined them in circulation in October 1969, and its job was to replace the ten shilling note. The Museum notes that it quickly fulfilled that purpose.

It was a new kind of coin. The seven-sided outline, an equilateral curve heptagon, was suggested by H. G. Conway of the Decimal Currency Board. The shape has a constant breadth, so the coin could be told apart by sight and touch and would still roll through vending machines.

The first year was struck in bulk: the Royal Mint's figures give 188,400,000 coins dated 1969. Production then fell to 19,461,500 for 1970, and no Britannia 50p was issued for circulation dated 1971 to 1975. Striking resumed in 1976 and ran each year to 1981, for a total of 594,917,500 across the eight circulating years.

Christopher Ironside designed the reverse. The Royal Mint describes it as a figure of Britannia, seated beside a lion, with a shield resting against her right side, holding a trident in her right hand and an olive branch in her left, with the figure 50 below and the inscription NEW PENCE above. Ironside had also been asked to prepare an arrangement of the Royal Arms to match the heraldic theme of the other decimal coins, but Britannia was chosen.

The obverse carries Arnold Machin's portrait of the Queen, the portrait prepared for the decimal coinage. The edge is plain. From 1982 the wording above Britannia changed to FIFTY PENCE, which is the simplest way to tell this type from its successor.

Collecting notes

This is the large 50p: 30mm across and 13.5g, against 27.3mm and 8g for the coin in use today. The smaller coin was introduced on 1 September 1997 and the Royal Mint states that the larger one was demonetised in 1998, so none of these dates can turn up in change or be spent.

By mintage, 1970 is the lowest of the circulating years and 1969 by far the highest, with 1980 second at 89,086,000. Coins dated 1971, 1972, 1974 and 1975 exist only as proofs made for collector sets, so a coin with one of those dates should have a proof finish.

When checking an example, read the reverse wording first. NEW PENCE places it in this series, while FIFTY PENCE belongs to the 1982 to 1984 type. The only 1973 coin is the EEC commemorative, which has a different reverse altogether.