Common: 10,000,000 or more minted. Sells often: 38 verified sales in the last 12 months.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II 2nd portrait (1982–1984)
"Britannia 50p"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1982–1984 |
| Denomination | 50 Pence |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage by year |
Scarcest year: 158,820 struck
|
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Demonetised | 1998 |
| Composition | Copper-nickel |
| Weight | 13.500g |
| Diameter | 30.0mm |
| Thickness | 2.50mm |
| Shape | Equilateral curve heptagon (7-sided) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Arnold Machin |
| Rev. artist | Christopher Ironside |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Second crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, legend around.
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.
FIFTY PENCE 50
50 Pence - Elizabeth II market value
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Affiliate50 Pence - Elizabeth II price history
Daily limit reached50 Pence - Elizabeth II value by year
1982 to 1984 · median sold prices| Year | Mintage | Circulated | Uncirculated | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 51,312,000 | £2.77 | £4.50 | 29 | |
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VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
⭐ Pro: the 1982 coin's sales by grade, and the chart filtered to one year
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| 1983 | 62,824,904 | £2.06 (2) | £2.99 | 5 | |
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VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
⭐ Pro: the 1983 coin's sales by grade, and the chart filtered to one year
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| 1984 scarcest | 158,820 | £4.75 (2) | £7.61 (2) | 4 | |
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VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
⭐ Pro: the 1984 coin's sales by grade, and the chart filtered to one year
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One row for each year the 50 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. 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.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II value by grade
Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC | £3.31 🔒 eBay | £2.66 | – | £2.00 – £4.00 | 4 | 4 | 25-07-2026 | |
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| BU | £4.50 🔒 eBay | £4.50 | – | £2.98 – £4.50 | 3 | 3 | 05-09-2026 | |
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| VF | £2.20 🔒 eBay | £2.50 | – | £0.50 – £55.90 | 17 | 17 | 13-10-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £2.99 🔒 eBay | £4.50 | – | £2.99 – £9.22 | 14 | 14 | 18-09-2026 | |
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About the 1982 50 Pence - Elizabeth II
The 1982 50 Pence - Elizabeth II is a circulating 50 pence coin issued from 1982 to 1984, struck in copper-nickel. 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 3 years between 1982 and 1984, 114,295,724 coins in all. 1984 is the scarcest date, with 158,820 struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1998), so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1982 50 Pence - Elizabeth II worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1982 50 Pence - Elizabeth II run from £2.50 to £4.50 across 4 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many 1982 50p coins were made?
The Royal Mint's mintage figures give 51,312,000 for 1982 and 62,824,904 for 1983, a total of 114,136,904 for this type. No Britannia 50p dated 1984 was issued for circulation, so 1984 coins come from collector sets.
Is a 1982 or 1983 50p still legal tender?
No. These are large 30mm coins, and the Royal Mint states that the larger 50p was demonetised in 1998 after the smaller coin arrived on 1 September 1997. The BBC reported that the last day for spending them was Saturday 28 February 1998.
Why does the 1982 50p say FIFTY PENCE and not NEW PENCE?
The word NEW was put on the first decimal coins to set them apart from the old money, and the Royal Mint says it was removed in 1982. On the 50p the wording above Britannia changed from NEW PENCE to FIFTY PENCE that year.
Is the 1984 50p rare?
It was never issued for circulation. The Royal Mint's mintage figures list no circulating 50p dated 1984, so every 1984 coin was made for a collector set. It cannot be compared directly with the 1982 and 1983 coins, which were struck in tens of millions.
How do I identify the 1982 50 Pence - Elizabeth II?
Check the weight 13.5g and diameter 30mm and the metal (copper-nickel) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
In 1982 the word NEW came off the decimal coinage. It had been put on the first decimal coins to set them apart from the old money, and the Royal Mint records that it was removed in 1982. On the 50p, the wording above Britannia changed from NEW PENCE to FIFTY PENCE, and that is what separates this type from the 1969 to 1981 coins.
The type had a short life. The Royal Mint's figures give 51,312,000 coins for 1982 and 62,824,904 for 1983, a total of 114,136,904. No Britannia 50p dated 1984 was issued for circulation, so coins of that date come from collector sets. From 1985 a new portrait of the Queen replaced the one used here.
Like every large 50p, it was demonetised in 1998, after the smaller coin was introduced on 1 September 1997.
The reverse is Christopher Ironside's Britannia, used on the 50p since 1969. 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 FIFTY PENCE above.
The obverse carries Arnold Machin's portrait of the Queen, made for the decimal coinage. The Royal Mint says it featured on UK coins from 1968 until 1984, which makes these the last 50p coins to carry it. The edge is plain.
Collecting notes
This is a large 50p: 30mm across and 13.5g, against 27.3mm and 8g for the coin in use today. It cannot be spent and does not turn up in change. The BBC reported in February 1998 that the last day for spending the old coins was Saturday 28 February, and that 108 million of them were still outstanding at that point.
Read the date first. A 1982 or 1983 coin may be a circulation strike or a set coin, and most examples met will show wear. A 1984 coin was never issued for circulation and should have the sharper finish of a set coin. On worn pieces, look at Britannia's helmet, her forward knee and the lion's head, and at the Queen's hair above the ear.
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin. Its neighbours are the NEW PENCE type of 1969 to 1981 and the 1985 type with the Maklouf portrait.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- UK coin mintage figures (data file), The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 50p Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The Story of the 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Fifty pence (British coin), Wikipedia (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 1p Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Old-style 50p pieces withdrawn (27 February 1998), BBC News (read 9 Oct 2026)
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