Exceptional: fewer than 1,000 minted.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II Sherlock Holmes Gold Proof (2019)
Circulating version: 2019 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Sherlock Holmes
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2019 |
| Denomination | 50 Pence |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 486 |
| 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) |
Fifth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the George IV State Diadem, legend around.
Silhouette of Sherlock Holmes smoking a pipe facing left with lists of the novels either side and denomination below.
Gold Proof 50p market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateGold Proof 50p price history
Daily limit reachedGold Proof 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VF | £840.00 🔒 | £840.00 (1) | – | £840.00 – £840.00 | 0 | 1 | 01-12-2024 | |
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| PR-69 | £925.00 🔒 | £925.00 (1) | – | £925.00 – £925.00 | 0 | 1 | 05-11-2024 | |
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About the 2019 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Sherlock Holmes – Gold Proof
The 2019 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Sherlock Holmes – Gold Proof is a collector 50 pence coin, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 15.5g and measures 27.3mm across. Reverse design: Silhouette of Sherlock Holmes smoking a pipe facing left with lists of the novels either side and denomination below.
486 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2019 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Sherlock Holmes – Gold Proof worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2019 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Sherlock Holmes – Gold Proof run from £840 to £925 across 2 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one. Its gold content is worth about £1,369 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How is the 2019 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Sherlock Holmes – Gold Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 2019 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Sherlock Holmes, 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 2019 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Sherlock Holmes – 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 – Sherlock Holmes. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
The Sherlock Holmes 50p was issued in 2019, when the Royal Mint marked the 160th anniversary of the birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Conan Doyle wrote 60 Sherlock Holmes stories, and the coin is dedicated to the detective, not to a portrait of the author.
The Royal Mint's figures give a circulating mintage of 8,602,000. That is a plentiful issue. It is close to the two Paddington 50p coins of the same year, at 9,001,000 each, and about forty times the 210,000 of the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p.
The reverse is by Stephen Raw. It shows the detective's profile in silhouette, complete with pipe and deerstalker, surrounded by the names of his best-known adventures. The proclamation describes it as "a silhouette of Sherlock Holmes surrounded by titles of the books and the inscription SHERLOCK HOLMES and 50 PENCE".
The titles are in very small lettering, and that is deliberate. Raw chose a design that needs a magnifying glass to read the names of the cases, hoping to bring out the "inner detective" of anyone who finds the coin in their change.
The obverse carries the fifth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark, with the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRA REG FID DEF and the date 2019. The edge is plain.
Sources
- Sherlock Holmes 2019 UK 50p Silver Proof Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and designs for a new series of fifty pence coins in gold, standard silver, silver piedfort and cupro-nickel, notice 3057944, 29 June 2018, The Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Fifty Pence Mintage Figures (data file mintages.json), The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- World famous detective Sherlock Holmes to be commemorated on UK coin (Royal Mint announcement), Numismatic News (read 9 Oct 2026)
- UK 2019 Sherlock Holmes 50p, Coin Hunter (read 9 Oct 2026)
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