Uncommon: fewer than 10,000,000 minted. Sells often: 92 verified sales in the last 12 months.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II 4th portrait NHS 50th Anniversary (1998–2009)
"NHS 50p"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1998–2009 |
| Denomination | 50 Pence |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 5,001,000 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | NHS Commemoratives |
| 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 | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | David Cornell |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
| Tags | commemorative |
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 1998
A pair of hands set against a pattern of radiating lines, denomination below, legend above.
NHS 50th Anniversary 50p market value
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AffiliateNHS 50th Anniversary 50p price history
Daily limit reachedNHS 50th Anniversary 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FDC | £2.78 🔒 eBay | £2.78 (1) | – | £2.78 – £2.78 | 1 | 1 | 01-06-2026 | |
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| UNC | £5.45 🔒 eBay | £4.11 (2) | – | £2.77 – £5.45 | 2 | 2 | 05-05-2026 | |
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| BU | £25.00 🔒 eBay | £18.70 | – | £10.80 – £29.95 | 8 | 8 | 09-09-2026 | |
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| VF | £1.17 🔒 eBay | £1.35 | ▼51.3% | £0.63 – £10.80 | 80 | 80 | 16-10-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £30.86 🔒 eBay | £30.86 (1) | – | £30.86 – £30.86 | 1 | 1 | 10-03-2026 | |
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About the 1998 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – NHS 50th Anniversary
The 1998 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – NHS 50th Anniversary is a circulating 50 pence coin issued from 1998 to 2009 in the NHS Commemoratives series, struck in copper-nickel. It weighs 8g and measures 27.3mm across. Reverse design: A pair of hands set against a pattern of radiating lines, denomination below, legend above.
A mintage of 5,001,000 is recorded for one date of this type; figures for each year are not held.
Common questions
How much is the 1998 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – NHS 50th Anniversary worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1998 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – NHS 50th Anniversary run from £1.35 to £30.86 across 5 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many 1998 NHS 50p coins were made?
The Royal Mint's mintage figures give 5,001,000 struck for circulation. Among commemorative 50p coins dated before 2009, only the Single Market coin (109,000) and the 2003 Suffragettes coin (3,124,030) have lower figures. The EU 50p of the same year is just above it at 5,043,000.
Who designed the NHS 50p?
David Cornell designed the reverse: a pair of hands set against a pattern of radiating lines, with FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY, the value 50 PENCE and the initials NHS repeated five times around the border. The portrait of the Queen is by Ian Rank-Broadley.
Is the 1998 NHS 50p still legal tender?
Yes. It is a small 27.3mm coin weighing 8g, the same size as the 50p in use today, so it remains current and can still be found in change. Only the larger 30mm 50p coins were demonetised in 1998.
Is there more than one NHS 50p?
Yes. The 1998 coin marks the 50th anniversary of the National Health Service and shows a pair of hands. A different 50p was issued in 2023 for the 75th anniversary, designed by Alice Lediard, with the King's portrait. The two share a subject but not a design.
How do I identify the 1998 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – NHS 50th Anniversary?
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
The National Health Service was established by Aneurin Bevan in 1948, on the principle of universal healthcare funded through taxation. For its 50th anniversary in 1998 the Royal Mint issued a commemorative 50p. The proclamation setting out the design was given at Windsor Castle on 22 April 1998 and came into force the next day.
It was the second commemorative 50p of that year, after the coin for the UK's Presidency of the European Union, and one of the first in the small size introduced in September 1997.
The Royal Mint's figures give 5,001,000 struck for circulation. Among commemorative 50p coins dated before 2009, only two have lower figures: the Single Market coin at 109,000 and the 2003 Suffragettes coin at 3,124,030. The EU coin of 1998 is a fraction higher at 5,043,000.
David Cornell designed the reverse. The official description is a pair of hands set against a pattern of radiating lines, with the words FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY and the value 50 PENCE, accompanied by the initials NHS, which appear five times on the outer border.
The obverse has the portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley, introduced in 1998, with the inscription ELIZABETH II D G REG F D and the date. The proclamation specifies a plain edge.
Collecting notes
The coin is legal tender and the same size as today's 50p, so it can still be found in change, though most have had more than 25 years of use. The radiating lines are fine and shallow and are the first detail to go. On a good example they run cleanly to the border and each of the five sets of initials is fully readable.
The proclamation provided for the design in gold, in silver at 8g and at 16g, and in cupro-nickel. The 16g silver coin is the piedfort: the same 27.3mm diameter but double the weight. A coin of this design dated 2009 is a collector piece from the Royal Mint's 2009 collection for 40 years of the 50p, which held 16 reverse designs all dated 2009.
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin. The other 1998 commemorative is the EU Presidency 50p, and the health service was marked again with the 2023 NHS 75th anniversary 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)
- 1998 Elizabeth II 'The 50th Anniversary of the Creation of the NHS' 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and design for fifty pence coins commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the National Health Service, London Gazette issue 55133, 21 May 1998, pages 5693 to 5694, The Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Silver Proof Set Celebrates 40th Year of UK 50p (Royal Mint press release, 22 September 2009), CoinNews (read 9 Oct 2026)
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