Uncommon: fewer than 10,000,000 minted. Sells often: 96 verified sales in the last 12 months.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Public Libraries (2000–2009)
"Public Libraries 50p"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2000–2009 |
| Denomination | 50 Pence |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 11,263,000 |
| 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 | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | Mary Milner Dickens |
| 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 2000
The turning pages of a stylised book on the roof of a classical library building.
1850 2000 50 PENCE PUBLIC LIBRARIES
Public Libraries 50p market value
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AffiliatePublic Libraries 50p price history
Daily limit reachedPublic Libraries 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 | £3.30 🔒 eBay | £3.30 (1) | – | £3.30 – £3.30 | 1 | 1 | 27-08-2026 | |
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| UNC | £4.25 🔒 eBay | £1.17 | – | £0.71 – £11.99 | 4 | 4 | 12-10-2026 | |
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| BU | £4.99 🔒 eBay | £4.99 | – | £4.91 – £24.80 | 13 | 13 | 11-10-2026 | |
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| VF | £2.22 🔒 eBay | £1.62 | ▼13.8% | £0.50 – £30.54 | 66 | 68 | 15-10-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £5.50 🔒 eBay | £5.40 | – | £3.79 – £10.95 | 12 | 12 | 18-09-2026 | |
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About the 2000 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Public Libraries
The 2000 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Public Libraries is a circulating 50 pence coin issued from 2000 to 2009, struck in copper-nickel. It weighs 8g and measures 27.3mm across. Reverse design: The turning pages of a stylised book on the roof of a classical library building.
A mintage of 11,263,000 is recorded for one date of this type; figures for each year are not held.
Common questions
How much is the 2000 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Public Libraries worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2000 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Public Libraries run from £1.17 to £5.40 across 5 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many Public Libraries 50p coins were made?
The Royal Mint's mintage figures give 11,263,000 struck for circulation, all dated 2000. That is more than double the figure for either 1998 commemorative, the NHS coin (5,001,000) or the EU coin (5,043,000), so it is one of the more plentiful early commemorative 50p coins.
What does the 2000 Public Libraries 50p commemorate?
The 150th anniversary of the Public Libraries Act 1850, which gave local boroughs the power to establish free public libraries. The Royal Mint describes the Act as the first significant step towards universal access to information and literature. The coin carries the dates 1850 and 2000.
Who designed the Public Libraries 50p?
Mary Milner Dickens designed the reverse, which shows the turning pages of a book above a classical library building. She also designed the Single Market 50p dated 1992 to 1993 and the 2003 Suffragettes 50p. The portrait of the Queen is by Ian Rank-Broadley.
What are the circles on the Public Libraries 50p?
They are compact discs. The official description of the design says the pediment of the library building holds representations of compact discs, set below the turning pages of a book. The same description places the words PUBLIC LIBRARIES on the building itself.
Is the Public Libraries 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 still turns up in change. Only the larger 30mm 50p coins were demonetised in 1998.
How do I identify the 2000 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Public Libraries?
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 Public Libraries Act 1850 gave local boroughs the authority to establish free public libraries. The Royal Mint describes it as the first significant step towards a national institution giving universal access to information and literature. It applied at first only to England and Wales, and later legislation extended it.
The 50p for its 150th anniversary is dated 2000. The proclamation fixing the design was given at Buckingham Palace on 24 November 1999. It was the only commemorative 50p of that year and the third in the small size, after the two coins of 1998.
The Royal Mint's figures give 11,263,000 struck for circulation. That is more than double either 1998 coin (5,001,000 for the NHS and 5,043,000 for the EU Presidency), and of the commemorative 50p coins dated before 2009 only the 2006 Victoria Cross award coin, the 2005 Dictionary coin and the 1973 EEC coin were struck in larger numbers.
Mary Milner Dickens designed the reverse. She had designed the Single Market 50p dated 1992 to 1993 and went on to design the 2003 Suffragettes coin. The official description is the turning pages of a book, the anniversary dates 1850 and 2000 and the value 50 PENCE, all above a classical library building on which appear the words PUBLIC LIBRARIES and, within the pediment, representations of compact discs.
The design pairs the old and the new: a columned building and a printed book, with the discs set into the pediment. The obverse has the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of the Queen, and the proclamation specifies a plain edge.
Collecting notes
The coin is legal tender, the same size as today's 50p, and with over 11 million struck it is still met in change. The small lettering of PUBLIC LIBRARIES and the fine lines of the columns and pages soften quickly with wear, so those are the places to judge condition.
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 diameter but twice the weight. A coin of this design dated 2009 comes from the Royal Mint's 2009 collection for 40 years of the 50p, which held 16 reverse designs all dated 2009, and was not issued for circulation.
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin. Mary Milner Dickens's other 50p designs are the Single Market 50p and the 2003 Suffragettes 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)
- 2000 Elizabeth II 'The 150th Anniversary of the Public Libraries Act' 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and design for fifty pence coins commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Public Libraries Act 1850, Edinburgh Gazette issue 24725, 14 December 1999, pages 2676 to 2677, 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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