Rare: fewer than 500,000 minted. Sells often: 191 verified sales in the last 12 months.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II 5th Portrait Stephen Hawking (2019)
"Stephen Hawking 50p"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2019 |
| Denomination | 50 Pence |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 212,209 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Copper-nickel |
| Weight | 8.000g |
| Diameter | 27.3mm |
| Shape | Equilateral curve heptagon (7-sided) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Jody Clark |
| Rev. artist | Edwina Ellis |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Fifth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the George IV State Diadem, legend around.
ELIZABETH II · D · G · REG · F · D · 50 PENCE · 2019
An image of a black hole amid swirling lines angled to inspire thoughts of space curving around an event horizon with
STEPHEN HAWKING
Stephen Hawking 50p market value
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AffiliateStephen Hawking 50p price history
Daily limit reachedStephen Hawking 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 | £6.00 🔒 eBay | £7.55 | – | £3.21 – £15.07 | 24 | 24 | 17-10-2026 | |
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| BU | £7.59 🔒 eBay | £7.59 | ▼21.8% | £3.38 – £63.05 | 114 | 114 | 14-10-2026 | |
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| VF | £8.66 🔒 eBay | £6.54 | ▼13.8% | £2.22 – £20.02 | 53 | 53 | 13-10-2026 | |
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| PR-70 | £1,500.00 🔒 | £1,500.00 (1) | – | £1,500.00 – £1,500.00 | 0 | 1 | 06-09-2025 | |
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About the 2019 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Stephen Hawking
The 2019 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Stephen Hawking is a collector 50 pence coin, struck in copper-nickel. It weighs 8g and measures 27.3mm across. Reverse design: An image of a black hole amid swirling lines angled to inspire thoughts of space curving around an event horizon with.
212,209 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2019 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Stephen Hawking worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2019 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Stephen Hawking run from £6.54 to £1,500 across 4 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
Was the Stephen Hawking 50p released into circulation?
No. The Royal Mint's circulating mintage figures list only three commemorative 50p designs for 2019, Sherlock Holmes and the two Paddington coins. The Stephen Hawking 50p was sold as a Brilliant Uncirculated coin and in silver and gold proof versions, so every example started life in a collector product.
How many Stephen Hawking 50p coins were made?
There is no circulating mintage. The Royal Mint's 2019 sales figures record 107,209 Brilliant Uncirculated coins and a further 105,000 Brilliant Uncirculated coins in tubes, along with 5,465 silver proof, 2,481 silver proof piedfort and 396 gold proof coins.
Who designed the Stephen Hawking 50p?
The reverse was designed by Edwina Ellis, whom the Royal Mint describes as a printmaker. It is a stylised black hole with the name STEPHEN HAWKING and his entropy equation. The obverse carries the fifth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark.
What is the equation on the Stephen Hawking 50p?
The royal proclamation for the coin describes it as the entropy equation, shown beside a stylised depiction of a black hole. It refers to Hawking's work on black holes, which the Royal Mint's sales text for the coin calls groundbreaking.
Can you find the Stephen Hawking 50p in change?
Not as an issued circulating coin. The Royal Mint's circulating figures record none, so any example in change was spent by someone who had bought it. The coin is normally found in its Royal Mint pack or loose from a tube of Brilliant Uncirculated coins.
How do I identify the 2019 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Stephen Hawking?
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 Stephen Hawking 50p was issued in 2019 to celebrate the life and work of the physicist. The Royal Mint tied it to the first anniversary of his death and presented it as the first coin in a new series celebrating innovators in science. Its sales text pointed to his theories on the Big Bang, black holes and the history of the universe, and to his gift for making complex ideas relatable.
This is a collector coin. It does not appear in the Royal Mint's circulating mintage figures, which list only Sherlock Holmes and the two Paddington designs among the commemorative 50p coins of 2019. The Royal Mint's sales figures instead record 107,209 Brilliant Uncirculated coins and another 105,000 in tubes.
The reverse is by Edwina Ellis, described by the Royal Mint as a printmaker. The proclamation calls it "a stylized depiction of a black hole with the inscription STEPHEN HAWKING and the entropy equation". The Royal Mint said the design dares the viewer to peer into a black hole and contemplate what lies beyond, and that it was inspired by Hawking's wit as well as his science.
The denomination is on the other side. The obverse carries the fifth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark, with the inscription ELIZABETH II D G REG F D 50 PENCE and the date 2019. The edge is plain.
Collecting notes
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin.
Because it was not issued for circulation, a typical example is a Brilliant Uncirculated coin in its Royal Mint pack, or a loose coin that came from a tube. Check a loose coin for handling marks. One that has been carried in a pocket or spent no longer has an uncirculated finish, whatever the listing says.
The precious-metal versions share the design. The Royal Mint's 2019 sales figures list 5,465 silver proof coins, 2,481 silver proof piedforts and 396 gold proof coins.
The series continued in 2020 with the Rosalind Franklin 50p, which the Royal Mint also files under Innovations in Science.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Celebrating the Life of Stephen Hawking 2019 UK 50p Brilliant Uncirculated Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 50p Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and design for a new series of fifty pence coins in gold, standard silver, silver piedfort and cupro-nickel celebrating the life and work of Stephen Hawking (notice 3204634, 15 February 2019), The Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- UK coin mintage figures (data file), The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Commemorative Coin Sales 2019, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Celebrating the Life of Stephen Hawking 2019 UK 50p Silver Proof Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Celebrating the Life of Stephen Hawking 2019 UK 50p Gold Proof Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
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