Legendary: fewer than 100 minted.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II European Union Gold Proof (1998–2009)
Circulating version: 1998 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – European Union
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1998–2009 |
| 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 | Round |
| 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.
Pattern of twelve stars representing the twelve members of the European Union, with commemorative dates and denomination below.
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 1998 50 Pence - Elizabeth II European Union – Gold Proof
The 1998 50 Pence - Elizabeth II European Union – Gold Proof is a collector 50 pence coin issued from 1998 to 2009, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 15.5g and measures 27.3mm across. Reverse design: Pattern of twelve stars representing the twelve members of the European Union, with commemorative dates and denomination below.
A mintage of 70 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 European Union – Gold Proof worth?
No verified sale of the 1998 50 Pence - Elizabeth II European Union – Gold Proof has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its gold content is worth about £1,369 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How is the 1998 50 Pence - Elizabeth II European Union – Gold Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 1998 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – European Union, 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 1998 50 Pence - Elizabeth II European Union – 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 – European Union. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
The United Kingdom held the Presidency of the European Union for six months in 1998, and the year was also the 25th anniversary of its accession to the European Economic Community in 1973. One 50p marked both. The Royal Mint notes that the 50p had become the coin for European milestones: the 1973 accession and the Single Market of 1992 to 1993 had been marked the same way.
The proclamation setting the design was made on 17 December 1997, and by late February 1998 the BBC described the coin as in circulation. It was the first commemorative 50p in the smaller size introduced in September 1997.
The Royal Mint's figures give 5,043,000 struck for circulation. Among commemorative 50p coins dated before 2009, only three are lower: the Single Market coin at 109,000, the 2003 Suffragettes coin at 3,124,030 and the NHS coin of the same year at 5,001,000.
The sculptor John Mills, who had designed the 1994 D-Day 50p, made the reverse. The official description is a celebratory arrangement of stars with the letters EU between the anniversary dates 1973 and 1998 and, below, the value 50 PENCE. The Royal Mint's shop page identifies them as the twelve stars of the European Union encircling the letters.
The obverse has the portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley, new to the coinage in 1998, with the inscription ELIZABETH II D G REG F D and the date. 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)
- 1998 Elizabeth II 'The UK's Presidency of the EU, and the 25th Anniversary of the UK's Accession to the EEC' 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and design for fifty pence coins commemorating the United Kingdom's Presidency of the European Union, Edinburgh Gazette issue 24342, 6 February 1998, pages 284 to 285, The Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Old-style 50p pieces withdrawn (27 February 1998), BBC News (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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