Legendary: fewer than 100 minted.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II Benjamin Britten Gold Proof (2013)
Circulating version: 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Benjamin Britten
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2013 |
| Denomination | 50 Pence |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 70 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 15.500g · 0.4568 t oz |
| Diameter | 27.3mm |
| Shape | Equilateral curve heptagon (7-sided) |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Fourth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, legend around.
Lettering across seven horizontal lines with two musical staves.
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Daily limit reachedGold Proof 50p estimated value
not a sale of this coinWe have no sold price for this coin yet. This range is the middle of what 4 similar coins sold for as issued: the same denomination and metal, struck within 5 years. The lower figure is its metal value today. Treat it as a guide, not a valuation.
- £1,800
- £1,050
- £815
- £900
About the 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Benjamin Britten – Gold Proof
The 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Benjamin Britten – Gold Proof is a collector 50 pence coin, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 15.5g and measures 27.3mm across. Reverse design: Lettering across seven horizontal lines with two musical staves.
70 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Benjamin Britten – Gold Proof worth?
No verified sale of the 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Benjamin Britten – Gold Proof has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its gold content is worth about £1,373 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How is the 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Benjamin Britten – Gold Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Benjamin Britten, not the coin found in change. At 15.5g of 91.67% gold it is heavier than the 8g nickel circulating coin, so weighing it is the quickest check.
How do I identify the 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Benjamin Britten – Gold Proof?
Check the weight 15.5g and diameter 27.3mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
This is a collector version of the 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Benjamin Britten. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
Benjamin Britten was born on 22 November 1913, the feast day of St Cecilia, patron saint of music. The Royal Mint marked the centenary with a 50p developed with the Britten-Pears Foundation. Its launch material called it the first British coin to feature a composer.
The royal proclamation for the coin was made on 12 December 2012. The Mint revealed the design on 2 September 2013 and sold collector versions from 27 September, with the circulating coin due to follow later that year.
The Royal Mint's figures give 5,300,000 struck for circulation. Two commemorative 50p coins are dated 2013, and this is the lower of the two: the Christopher Ironside coin has 7,000,000. Both sit well below that year's standard Royal Shield 50p at 10,301,000.
The artist Tom Phillips designed the reverse, and it is made entirely of lettering. The name BENJAMIN BRITTEN is framed on a double stave, the two halves separated by COMPOSER BORN 1913. BLOW BUGLE BLOW runs across the top and SET THE WILD ECHOES FLYING across the base.
The words are Tennyson's, set to music by Britten in his Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings. The double stave refers to the piano, on which Britten was a virtuoso. Phillips said: "What I wanted the coin to speak of was music." He described the quotation as a clarion call for a musical anniversary.
With no room for a value on the reverse, the obverse carries FIFTY PENCE and the date 2013 around Ian Rank-Broadley's fourth portrait of the Queen. The Royal Mint describes it as the first UK 50p to show both date and denomination on the obverse. The edge is plain.
Sources
- 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 Benjamin Britten' 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Benjamin Britten 2013 UK 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 Benjamin Britten, London Gazette issue 60356, 14 December 2012, pages 24042 to 24043, The Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The Royal Mint's Benjamin Britten 50p strikes a musical note, CoinsWeekly (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Britten Centenary Coin, Tom Phillips (read 9 Oct 2026)
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