Exceptional: fewer than 1,000 minted.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II Victoria Cross, medal Gold Proof (2006–2009)
Circulating version: 2006 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Victoria Cross, medal
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2006–2009 |
| Denomination | 50 Pence |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 866 |
| 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.
A depiction of both sides of a Victoria Cross medal, denomination below.
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 2006 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Victoria Cross, medal – Gold Proof
The 2006 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Victoria Cross, medal – Gold Proof is a collector 50 pence coin issued from 2006 to 2009, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 15.5g and measures 27.3mm across. Reverse design: A depiction of both sides of a Victoria Cross medal, denomination below.
A mintage of 866 is recorded for one date of this type; figures for each year are not held.
Common questions
How much is the 2006 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Victoria Cross, medal – Gold Proof worth?
No verified sale of the 2006 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Victoria Cross, medal – 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 2006 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Victoria Cross, medal – Gold Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 2006 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Victoria Cross, medal, 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 2006 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Victoria Cross, medal – 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 – Victoria Cross, medal. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
Two 50p coins were issued in 2006 for the 150th anniversary of the Victoria Cross, and this is the one that shows the medal itself. The Victoria Cross was introduced by Queen Victoria on 29 January 1856 to honour acts of valour during the Crimean War, and the Royal Mint describes it as the most prestigious award for gallantry open to a British or Commonwealth serviceman.
The royal proclamation, which came into force on 13 October 2005, authorised two alternative reverses: a depiction of the Cross, and a soldier carrying a wounded comrade. Both were struck for general circulation.
The Royal Mint's figures give 12,087,000 for this design and 10,000,500 for its companion, against 24,567,000 Britannia 50p coins of the same date. Among the eleven commemorative 50p designs dated 1998 to 2010 in those figures, only the 2005 Johnson's Dictionary coin has a higher mintage.
Claire Aldridge designed the reverse. It shows both sides of a Victoria Cross, the obverse and the reverse, with the letters VC to the right and the value FIFTY PENCE below.
The detail to notice is in the centre of the reverse of the Cross. On an awarded medal that circle is engraved with the date of the act for which it was given. On the coin it reads 29 JAN 1856, the date of the award's institution.
The obverse carries the portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley, used on 50p coins from 1998 to 2015, with the date 2006 after the royal titles. 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)
- 2006 Elizabeth II 'The 150th Anniversary of the Institution of the Victoria Cross' 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and design for fifty pence coins commemorating the one-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of the institution of the Victoria Cross, London Gazette issue 57993, 26 May 2006, The Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Commemorative Coin Sales 2006, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Victoria Cross, 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)
- 50 years of the 50p - Brilliant Uncirculated Coin Set - Military, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
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