Uncommon: fewer than 10,000,000 minted. Sells often: 37 verified sales in the last 12 months.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Victoria Cross, medal (2006–2009)
"Victoria Cross Award 50p"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2006–2009 |
| Denomination | 50 Pence |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 12,087,000 |
| 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 | Claire Aldridge |
| 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 · 2006
A depiction of both sides of a Victoria Cross medal, denomination below.
29 JAN 1856 VC FIFTY PENCE
Victoria Cross, medal 50p market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateVictoria Cross, medal 50p price history
Daily limit reachedVictoria Cross, medal 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 | £6.74 🔒 eBay | £6.74 | – | £4.00 – £10.99 | 11 | 11 | 11-10-2026 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| VF | £6.05 🔒 eBay | £1.79 | – | £0.63 – £989.86 | 24 | 26 | 30-09-2026 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| PR-65 | £10.95 🔒 eBay | £8.60 (2) | – | £6.24 – £10.95 | 2 | 2 | 04-03-2026 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
About the 2006 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Victoria Cross, medal
The 2006 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Victoria Cross, medal is a circulating 50 pence coin issued from 2006 to 2009, struck in copper-nickel. It weighs 8g and measures 27.3mm across. Reverse design: A depiction of both sides of a Victoria Cross medal, denomination below.
A mintage of 12,087,000 is recorded for one date of this type; figures for each year are not held.
Common questions
How much is the 2006 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Victoria Cross, medal worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2006 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Victoria Cross, medal run from £1.79 to £8.60 across 3 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many Victoria Cross medal 50p coins were made?
The Royal Mint's mintage figures give 12,087,000 struck for circulation, all dated 2006. Its companion showing a soldier carrying a wounded comrade had 10,000,500, so this is the more plentiful of the two Victoria Cross designs.
Is the 2006 Victoria Cross 50p rare?
No. At 12,087,000 it has the second highest mintage of the eleven commemorative 50p designs dated 1998 to 2010 in the Royal Mint's figures. Only the 2005 Johnson's Dictionary coin, at 17,649,000, was struck in larger numbers.
Who designed the Victoria Cross medal 50p?
Claire Aldridge designed the reverse, which shows the front and back of a Victoria Cross with the letters VC and the value FIFTY PENCE. The companion coin with the soldier is by Clive Duncan. Both carry Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of the Queen.
What does 29 JAN 1856 mean on the Victoria Cross 50p?
It is the date the Victoria Cross was instituted by Queen Victoria, 150 years before the coin. On a real medal the centre of the reverse is engraved with the date of the act of bravery, and the coin puts the founding date there instead.
Why are there two Victoria Cross 50p coins?
The 2005 proclamation authorised two reverse designs for the 150th anniversary. One shows the award itself, front and back. The other shows the kind of act it rewards, a soldier carrying a wounded comrade. Both were struck for circulation dated 2006.
How do I identify the 2006 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Victoria Cross, medal?
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
Two 50p coins were issued in 2006 for the 150th anniversary of the Victoria Cross, and this is the one that shows the medal itself. The Victoria Cross was introduced by Queen Victoria on 29 January 1856 to honour acts of valour during the Crimean War, and the Royal Mint describes it as the most prestigious award for gallantry open to a British or Commonwealth serviceman.
The royal proclamation, which came into force on 13 October 2005, authorised two alternative reverses: a depiction of the Cross, and a soldier carrying a wounded comrade. Both were struck for general circulation.
The Royal Mint's figures give 12,087,000 for this design and 10,000,500 for its companion, against 24,567,000 Britannia 50p coins of the same date. Among the eleven commemorative 50p designs dated 1998 to 2010 in those figures, only the 2005 Johnson's Dictionary coin has a higher mintage.
Claire Aldridge designed the reverse. It shows both sides of a Victoria Cross, the obverse and the reverse, with the letters VC to the right and the value FIFTY PENCE below.
The detail to notice is in the centre of the reverse of the Cross. On an awarded medal that circle is engraved with the date of the act for which it was given. On the coin it reads 29 JAN 1856, the date of the award's institution.
The obverse carries the portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley, used on 50p coins from 1998 to 2015, with the date 2006 after the royal titles. The proclamation specifies a plain edge.
Collecting notes
This is a current-size 50p (27.3mm, 8g) and remains legal tender, so it can still be found in change. On a circulated example, check that the date in the centre of the Cross can still be read.
The Royal Mint's sales figures for 2006 list 37,176 Brilliant Uncirculated coins of this design, 6,310 silver proofs against a limit of 7,500, 3,532 silver piedforts against a limit of 5,000 and 866 gold proofs against a limit of 1,000.
The design was struck again in 2009 for the 50p's 40th anniversary collection, and dated 2019 with Jody Clark's portrait in the Military set for its 50th. Neither appears in the Mint's circulating figures. See the 2019 Victoria Cross Award 50p and the companion Victoria Cross soldier 50p.
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin.
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)
- 2006 Elizabeth II 'The 150th Anniversary of the Institution of the Victoria Cross' 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and design for fifty pence coins commemorating the one-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of the institution of the Victoria Cross, London Gazette issue 57993, 26 May 2006, The Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Commemorative Coin Sales 2006, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Victoria Cross, Wikipedia (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and designs for new fifty pence coins, London Gazette issue 59124, 10 July 2009, The Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 50 years of the 50p - Brilliant Uncirculated Coin Set - Military, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
More 50 Pence coins from nearby years
