Legendary: fewer than 100 minted.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II Public Libraries Gold Proof (2000–2009)
Circulating version: 2000 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Public Libraries
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2000–2009 |
| 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.
The turning pages of a stylised book on the roof of a classical library building.
Gold Proof 50p market value
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Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FDC | £920.00 🔒 | £920.00 (1) | – | £920.00 – £920.00 | 0 | 1 | 01-03-2025 | |
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About the 2000 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Public Libraries – Gold Proof
The 2000 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Public Libraries – Gold Proof is a collector 50 pence coin issued from 2000 to 2009, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 15.5g and measures 27.3mm across. Reverse design: The turning pages of a stylised book on the roof of a classical library building.
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 2000 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Public Libraries – Gold Proof worth?
The 2000 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Public Libraries – Gold Proof has a price in one grade on MyCoinage so far: £920 in FDC, the median of its verified sales. Its gold content is worth about £1,373 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How is the 2000 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Public Libraries – Gold Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 2000 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Public Libraries, 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 2000 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Public Libraries – 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 – Public Libraries. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
The Public Libraries Act 1850 gave local boroughs the authority to establish free public libraries. The Royal Mint describes it as the first significant step towards a national institution giving universal access to information and literature. It applied at first only to England and Wales, and later legislation extended it.
The 50p for its 150th anniversary is dated 2000. The proclamation fixing the design was given at Buckingham Palace on 24 November 1999. It was the only commemorative 50p of that year and the third in the small size, after the two coins of 1998.
The Royal Mint's figures give 11,263,000 struck for circulation. That is more than double either 1998 coin (5,001,000 for the NHS and 5,043,000 for the EU Presidency), and of the commemorative 50p coins dated before 2009 only the 2006 Victoria Cross award coin, the 2005 Dictionary coin and the 1973 EEC coin were struck in larger numbers.
Mary Milner Dickens designed the reverse. She had designed the Single Market 50p dated 1992 to 1993 and went on to design the 2003 Suffragettes coin. The official description is the turning pages of a book, the anniversary dates 1850 and 2000 and the value 50 PENCE, all above a classical library building on which appear the words PUBLIC LIBRARIES and, within the pediment, representations of compact discs.
The design pairs the old and the new: a columned building and a printed book, with the discs set into the pediment. The obverse has the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of the Queen, and the proclamation specifies a plain edge.
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)
- 2000 Elizabeth II 'The 150th Anniversary of the Public Libraries Act' 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and design for fifty pence coins commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Public Libraries Act 1850, Edinburgh Gazette issue 24725, 14 December 1999, pages 2676 to 2677, The Gazette (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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