One of the stars of this month’s Midland Coin Fair was undoubtedly the UK 50p Gold Proof Collection. It’s a collection of 16 gold proof fifty-pence pieces and was issued by the Royal Mint in 2009 to commemorate 40 years of the 50p piece.
The UK 50p Gold Proof Collection contains the 16 different designs issued on the 50p piece from 1969 to 2009. All 16 coins are made of 22 carat (91.67%) gold and weigh 15.5 grams each.
Reverse Designs
The reverses are based on the coin issued between 1969 to 2009, but note that each coin is dated 2009.
| Year of Design | Description |
| 1969 | onwards – Seated Britannia x2 |
| 1973 | EEC Hands |
| 1992-1993 | UK Presidency EEC |
| 1994 | D-Day Landings |
| 1998 | NHS |
| 1998 | EEC Anniversary |
| 2000 | British Libraries |
| 2003 | Suffragettes |
| 2004 | 4 Minute Mile |
| 2005 | Samuel Johnson Dictionary |
| 2006 | Heroic Acts |
| 2006 | Victoria Cross |
| 2007 | Scouts |
| 2008 | Royal Shield of Arms |
| 2009 | Kew Gardens |
British Fifty Pence (50p)
The British Fifty Pence (50p) is a 7-sided coin that was introduced in October 1969 as part of the decimalisation of the British currency. It replaced the 10 shilling note, both being equivalent to half of one pound (£0.50). It was resized in 1997.
The Sets are Rare – and Expensive
Just 125 set of the UK 50p Gold Proof Collection were issued by the Royal Mint, so this set is rare and can be difficult to source. It contains over 227 g of pure gold, so you can image this set is also very expensive and you can expect to pay 5-figure amounts for these.
Sets are housed in a wooden box and have a numbered Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
The set shown is being sold by M J Hughes Coins and we thank Max Hughes for permission to use the images.
