Uncommon: fewer than 10,000,000 minted. Sells often: 103 verified sales in the last 12 months.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Christopher Ironside (2013)
"Christopher Ironside 50p"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2013 |
| Denomination | 50 Pence |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 7,000,000 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Composition | Copper-nickel |
| Weight | 8.000g |
| Diameter | 27.3mm |
| Thickness | 1.80mm |
| Shape | Equilateral curve heptagon (7-sided) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | Christopher Ironside |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Fourth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, legend around
ELIZABETH · II · D · G · REG · F · D · 2013
Central Royal Arms with legend above and denomination below
FIFTY PENCE 50
Christopher Ironside 50p market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateChristopher Ironside 50p price history
Daily limit reachedChristopher Ironside 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC | £3.69 🔒 eBay | £3.69 | – | £2.24 – £8.66 | 3 | 3 | 07-10-2026 | |
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| BU | £29.99 🔒 eBay | £27.12 | – | £11.40 – £44.99 | 22 | 22 | 15-09-2026 | |
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| EF | £2.77 🔒 eBay | £2.77 (1) | – | £2.77 – £2.77 | 1 | 1 | 09-02-2026 | |
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| VF | £1.39 🔒 eBay | £1.98 | ▼0.5% | £0.64 – £44.95 | 74 | 75 | 17-10-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £20.00 🔒 eBay | £20.50 | – | £20.00 – £25.95 | 3 | 3 | 28-09-2026 | |
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About the 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Christopher Ironside
The 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Christopher Ironside is a circulating 50 pence coin, struck in copper-nickel. It weighs 8g and measures 27.3mm across. Reverse design: Central Royal Arms with legend above and denomination below.
7,000,000 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Christopher Ironside worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Christopher Ironside run from £1.98 to £27.12 across 5 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many Christopher Ironside 50p coins were made?
The Royal Mint's mintage figures give 7,000,000 struck for circulation, all dated 2013. Brilliant Uncirculated coins and proofs in silver, silver piedfort and gold were sold separately to collectors and are not part of that figure.
Is the Christopher Ironside 50p rare?
No. At 7,000,000 it has the higher mintage of the two commemorative 50p coins dated 2013, ahead of Benjamin Britten at 5,300,000. In the Royal Mint's figures it is also above the 2014 Glasgow coin at 6,500,000 and the 2015 Battle of Britain coin at 5,900,000.
Who designed the Christopher Ironside 50p?
Christopher Ironside himself. The reverse is an arrangement of the Royal Arms that he prepared in the 1960s for the first 50p, when Britannia was chosen instead. The obverse has the fourth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, by Ian Rank-Broadley.
Why is there a Royal Arms 50p dated 2013?
It marks 100 years since the birth of Christopher Ironside, who designed the reverses of the first decimal coins. The Royal Mint chose his unused Royal Arms design, the runner-up to Britannia for the 1969 50p, and issued it 44 years after it was drawn.
How do I identify the 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Christopher Ironside?
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
Christopher Ironside won the public competition to design the United Kingdom's decimal coins and prepared the reverses for all six original denominations, from the halfpenny to the 50p. He was awarded an OBE in 1971. His designs stayed in use for 40 years, until Matthew Dent's shield designs replaced them in 2008.
For the 50p of 1969 he was asked for two things: a Britannia, and an arrangement of the Royal Arms to match the heraldic theme of the other decimal coins. The Royal Mint Museum records that Britannia won, partly from sentiment and partly because she was expected to be the popular choice. The Royal Arms got as far as trial pieces, and the Museum notes that visitors often admire the pattern.
In 2013, the centenary of his birth, the Royal Mint finally issued it. The Mint's figures give 7,000,000 struck for circulation, the higher of the two commemorative 50p coins of that year. The Benjamin Britten coin has 5,300,000.
The reverse is Ironside's own work, used 44 years after he drew it. It shows the Royal Arms with the words FIFTY PENCE and the figure 50. The Royal Mint calls its release a tribute to his legacy as a numismatic artist.
Nothing on the coin names Ironside or the anniversary. The only clue to the occasion is the date 2013 on the obverse, which sits with the Queen's titles around the fourth portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley. The edge is plain.
Collecting notes
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin.
Because the coin carries no commemorative wording, it is easy to mistake for a standard issue. It is not the shield 50p of 2008 onwards, which shows only a section of the arms: this one has the full Royal Arms and the figure 50. It is also not a pattern of the 1960s, since every circulating example has the 2013 date and the fourth portrait.
The proclamation ordered the coin in cupro-nickel, silver, silver piedfort and gold, and made the cupro-nickel coin legal tender. Collector strikes are not counted in the 7,000,000. It is a current-size 50p, so it can still be found in change.
For the design that beat it in 1969, see the original Britannia 50p. The other commemorative of 2013 is the Benjamin Britten 50p.
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)
- 2013 Elizabeth II 'The 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Christopher Ironside' 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and design for fifty pence coins commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Christopher Ironside, London Gazette issue 60356, 14 December 2012, pages 24041 to 24042, The Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Royal Arms fifty pence piece, Royal Mint Museum (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Christopher Ironside, Royal Mint Museum (read 9 Oct 2026)
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