Common: 10,000,000 or more minted. Sells often: 35 verified sales in the last 12 months.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II 3rd portrait small type (1997)
"Britannia 50p"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1997 |
| Denomination | 50 Pence |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 456,364,100 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Composition | Copper-nickel |
| Weight | 8.000g |
| Diameter | 27.3mm |
| Thickness | 1.78mm |
| Shape | Equilateral curve heptagon (7-sided) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Raphael Maklouf |
| Rev. artist | Christopher Ironside |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Third crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the George IV State Diadem, 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
small type 50p market value
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Daily limit reachedsmall type 50p 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BU | £4.20 🔒 eBay | £4.20 | – | £2.25 – £6.52 | 22 | 22 | 17-08-2026 | |
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| VF | £2.99 🔒 eBay | £2.99 | – | £0.53 – £6.52 | 8 | 8 | 26-09-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £14.00 🔒 eBay | £14.00 | – | £4.20 – £14.00 | 5 | 5 | 16-08-2026 | |
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About the 1997 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – small type
The 1997 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – small type is a circulating 50 pence coin, struck in copper-nickel. It weighs 8g and measures 27.3mm 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.
456,364,100 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 1997 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – small type worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1997 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – small type run from £2.99 to £14.00 across 3 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many 1997 50p coins were made?
The Royal Mint's mintage figures give 456,364,100, the highest figure for any 50p of any date. It is more than twice the 188,400,000 struck in 1969, when the denomination was first issued. 1997 was the year the smaller coin replaced the large one.
Is the 1997 50p rare?
No. With 456,364,100 struck it is the most plentiful 50p in the Royal Mint's figures. It is the only small 50p date with the Raphael Maklouf portrait, since a new portrait was introduced in 1998, but that makes it a one-year type, not a scarce coin.
When did the 50p get smaller?
The smaller 50p was introduced on 1 September 1997, according to the Royal Mint, after a government review of the coinage announced in October 1994. The diameter fell from 30mm to 27.3mm and the weight from 13.5g to 8g.
Is the small 1997 50p still legal tender?
Yes. It is the same size and weight as the 50p in use today, 27.3mm and 8g, and remains current. Only the larger 30mm coins dated 1969 to 1997 were demonetised, which the Royal Mint states happened in 1998.
Are there two sizes of 1997 50p?
The 50p issued for circulation in 1997 is the small 27.3mm coin. The catalogue also lists a large 30mm coin with the same portrait and reverse, made for collectors. Measure the coin: the small one is 27.3mm and 8g, the large one 30mm and 13.5g.
How do I identify the 1997 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – small type?
Check the weight 8g and diameter 27.3mm and the metal (copper-nickel) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
By the mid 1990s the 50p was the biggest coin in British pockets. Smaller 5p and 10p coins had arrived in 1990 and 1992, and the Royal Mint records that in October 1994 the Government announced a further review of the coinage. It found a need for a smaller 50p, which was introduced on 1 September 1997.
Replacing every large coin took a huge striking. The Royal Mint's figures give 456,364,100 coins dated 1997, the highest figure for any 50p of any date and more than twice the 188,400,000 of 1969. The large coin was then demonetised in 1998. The BBC reported that the last day for spending it was Saturday 28 February 1998, with 108 million old coins still outstanding.
The 1997 coin is also a one-year type. A new portrait of the Queen was introduced in 1998, so this is the only small 50p date with the earlier one.
Nothing but the size changed. The reverse is still Christopher Ironside's Britannia of 1969, seated beside a lion with a shield against her right side, a trident in her right hand and an olive branch in her left, with FIFTY PENCE above and the figure 50 below.
The obverse has Raphael Maklouf's portrait of the Queen wearing the royal diadem, used on the coinage from 1985 to 1997. The coin kept its seven-sided shape, cupro-nickel alloy and plain edge. It measures 27.3mm and weighs 8g, down from 30mm and 13.5g.
Collecting notes
This coin is still legal tender and can still turn up in change, though after nearly thirty years in use most examples are well worn. With so many struck, condition is the only thing that sets one apart. Look for full detail in the Queen's hair and diadem and in Britannia's helmet and drapery, and for clean, unmarked fields.
Check the size if you are buying a 1997 coin unseen. The catalogue also lists a large 30mm type with the same portrait and reverse, which is no longer legal tender. The catalogue has separate entries for silver proof and silver piedfort versions of the small 1997 coin.
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin. The design continues with the 1998 to 2008 Britannia 50p, which has the Ian Rank-Broadley 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)
- Old-style 50p pieces withdrawn (27 February 1998), BBC News (read 9 Oct 2026)
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