Legendary: fewer than 100 minted.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II Johnson's Dictionary Gold Proof (2005–2009)
Circulating version: 2005 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Johnson's Dictionary
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2005–2009 |
| 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 | 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.
Entries from Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language, defining the denomination in words.
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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 3 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.
- £1,468
- £920
- £1,050
About the 2005 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Johnson's Dictionary – Gold Proof
The 2005 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Johnson's Dictionary – Gold Proof is a collector 50 pence coin issued from 2005 to 2009, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 15.5g and measures 27.3mm across. Reverse design: Entries from Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language, defining the denomination in words.
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 2005 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Johnson's Dictionary – Gold Proof worth?
No verified sale of the 2005 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Johnson's Dictionary – 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 2005 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Johnson's Dictionary – Gold Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 2005 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Johnson's Dictionary, 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 2005 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Johnson's Dictionary – 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 – Johnson's Dictionary. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
The Johnson's Dictionary 50p was issued in 2005, 250 years after Samuel Johnson published A Dictionary of the English Language in 1755. The Royal Mint describes the book as one of the most influential works in the history of the language: compiled over nearly a decade, it defined 40,000 words and illustrated them with more than 114,000 quotations from writers such as Shakespeare and Milton.
The royal proclamation setting out the design came into force on 18 November 2004. The coin was struck for general circulation in large numbers. The Royal Mint's figures give 17,649,000, not far short of the 25,363,500 Britannia 50p coins of the same date.
It is the most plentiful commemorative 50p of its period. None of the other ten commemorative designs dated 1998 to 2010 in the Royal Mint's figures reaches its total, and the next highest, the 2006 Victoria Cross award coin, has 12,087,000.
The artist Tom Phillips designed the reverse, and it is made entirely of words. The Royal Mint describes it as entries from the Dictionary for the words FIFTY and PENCE, with the figure 50 above and the inscription JOHNSON'S DICTIONARY 1755 below.
The denomination is therefore given twice: as the figure 50 and as two dictionary entries. The official description mentions no portrait of Johnson and no anniversary wording beyond the year 1755.
The obverse carries the portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley, used on 50p coins from 1998 to 2015, with the date 2005 after the royal titles. The edge is plain. Phillips returned to the 50p in 2013 with the Benjamin Britten coin.
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)
- 2005 Elizabeth II 'The 250th Anniversary of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language' 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and design for fifty pence coins commemorating the two-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language, London Gazette issue 57484, 3 December 2004, The Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Commemorative Coin Sales 2005, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Fifty pence (British coin), 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)
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