Posts Tagged ‘50p collecting’
Britain in Europe – a story of debates, delays and COLLECTABLE 50ps!
At the end of the month Britain will be leaving the European Union and HM Treasury have already announced a special commemorative 50p will enter circulation to mark the significant moment.
And if you want to be kept up to date with information about this new UK Brexit 50p, click here to register your interest.
But this won’t be the first time Britain’s relationship with the EU has been commemorated on coins. Whatever your feelings on our upcoming departure from the EU, our relationship with the continent has certainly produced some of the most iconic and important 50p releases ever from The Royal Mint!
Here are the coins that tell the story of Britain in the EU…
1973 European Economic Community 50p – the FIRST commemorative 50p!
After over a decade of debate and discussion, in 1973 Britain was finally successful in its attempts to join the European Economic Community, known as the EEC. And to mark this important moment, The Royal Mint issued a brand new 50p to celebrate the UK’s accession. It features nine hands clasping each other in a circle, symbolising the nine member states of the community.
This coin now stands as a hugely significant issue in British history, but it also stands as an extremely important numismatic release. That’s because it was the FIRST EVER commemorative 50p! This was the coin that started what has become the world’s most popular coin collecting craze and paved the way for the Olympic, Beatrix Potter and Kew Gardens 50ps we’re now so familiar with.
1992/3 UK European Community Presidency – the RAREST ever 50p!
The 1992/3 50p celebrates the UK’s presidency of the European Council of Ministers, and the completion of the Single Market. The design by Mary Milner Dickens features a conference table seen from above, around which are the 12 chairs for the Council of Ministers with the UK at the head of the table.
This 50p was released at a difficult time in the UK’s relationship with Europe. A strong Eurosceptic voice began to be heard in Parliament, with Thatcher having recently stepped down as Prime Minister and the formation of the UK Independence Party.
But most collectors will be aware of this 50p as being one of the most sought-after coins ever issued by The Royal Mint. There have been some extremely scarce 50ps issued since its introduction over 50p years ago, but with a mintage of just 109,000 (around half of the Kew Gardens 50p) the EC Presidency is the rarest UK 50p coin to enter circulation!
1998 UK entry to EEC 25th Anniversary 50p – the FIRST new-sized 50p!
In 1998 a new 50p was issued to commemorate 25 years of the UK in the EEC. The previous decade had been occupied with much debate and discussion over Britain’s membership of the European Union, playing a part in the decline of the Conservative Party and the landslide election victory by Tony Blair’s Labour Party.
This 50p marked a key change in the 50p – it was the FIRST to be released in the smaller sized specification we know today. The old larger coins were removed from circulation and it’s this new sized 50p that has featured some of the UK’s most iconic coin designs.
2020 Brexit 50p – the MOST IMPORTANT coin release of the decade!
To mark the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, it has been announced that a brand new 50p will be released into circulation on 31st January along with special commemorative Gold, Silver Proof, and Brilliant Uncirculated editions available to order from that date.
The final design features the inscription ‘Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations’ and the historic date 31st January 2020 – the date the UK will officially leave the European Union.
The three previous 50ps issued to mark the UK’s relationship with the EU have all become iconic releases in their own right, and I have a feeling this brand new coin may just stand as the most collectable of them all!
If you want to be kept up to date with information about the new UK Brexit 50p, then register your interest below.
If you’re interested…
Britain’s departure from the EU at the end of the month is sure to be one of the most important historic moments of our lifetime. And to mark the occasion you can own one of a limited number of Silver Britannias alongside the original 1973 EEC 50p, specially preserved in a one-day-only DateStamp™ issue to mark Britain leaving the European Union.
Collectors raise over £250,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity!
This year marks the 90th anniversary since Peter Pan author, JM Barrie, gifted his rights in Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
To commemorate this generous gift, earlier this year we launched a range of Peter Pan 50p coins in partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity, the Isle of Man Treasury and Tower Mint.
These magical 50p’s really captured the imagination of collectors and the demand experienced since their release has been unprecedented.
Incredibly this has meant in just a matter of months, through the sales of these Peter Pan 50p coins, that collectors have helped raise over £250,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity!
This is an achievement that everyone is immensely proud of, and we are hugely thankful to collectors for helping raise such an amazing amount to support Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity and the seriously ill children from across the UK who are cared for there.
To celebrate this important occasion, Managing Director, Ian Glen, and Karen Brooks, Head of Product Development, went along to Great Ormond Street Hospital to present them with the £250,000 cheque!
“We would like to thank all of the collectors who have raised such a considerable amount of money for Great Ormond Street Hospital. It has been a real privilege to work alongside the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity, the Isle of Man Treasury and Tower Mint in such a worthwhile coin issue.“
Ian Glen – Managing Director, The Westminster Collection
“Everyone at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity is thrilled and incredibly grateful that The Westminster Collection, The Tower Mint and the Isle of Man Government chose to celebrate the 90th anniversary of JM Barrie’s gift of the rights of Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital by issuing a special Peter Pan collection. It’s wonderful to see how much the general public and avid collectors have come together in support of this special collection. The funds raised will have a huge impact on the lives of seriously ill children from across the United Kingdom.”
Amit Aggarwal – Director, Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity
“I work in such a special industry, and I get see so much and meet so many people, but I never thought I would be able to connect my daughters syndrome to such a great cause, as well as contribute such an amazing amount to Great Ormond Street Hospital which will support all of the incredible work they do. The Westminster Collection and the Isle of Man have achieved so much for all involved, and I am a very proud dad!“
Elliot Dawson – Director at Tower Mint & Dad of Olivia Dawson (pictured above)
We are delighted to see our range of Peter Pan commemoratives grow in recent months and expand the opportunities for collectors to support Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. If you’d like to take a look at the full range, you can do so by clicking here.
To find out more about Great Ormond Street Hospital and the fantastic work they do, click here.
BREAKING NEWS: Brand new 50p be released on 31st October to mark Brexit
The Royal Proclamation confirming the new coin has been passed, and that means production can officially begin.
Plans to release special Brexit coins was first announced by former chancellor Philip Hammond in last year’s Budget. But this is the first confirmation from The Royal Mint that the coin is indeed going ahead.
I don’t know about you, but this coin story is one I’ve been watching for a while. And as such, I suspect it will be one of the most eagerly anticipated issues we’ve seen for a while!
Few details are known about the design of the coin, but we do know that it will feature the inscription: “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations”, as well as the historic date the UK is due to leave the EU – 31 October 2019.
A 50p coin was struck when the UK joined the European Economic Community in 1973 and when the UK held the presidency of the EU in 1998. So it only seems fitting one is released to also mark the UK’s departure from the EU. And by marking such a pivotal event in our history, this coin will surely be sought-after by collectors in years to come.
Whilst not many details have been released by The Royal Mint, there are rumours that up to 10 million coins will be struck and put into circulation, 3 million of which will be ready for 31st October – news that will surely delight collectors, who could be finding these coins in their change as early as Halloween.
We do not yet know whether special collector versions of this coin will be available. Though we have our fingers crossed that there will be!
If you want to be kept up to date with news of the Brexit coin as we approach 31st October, then register your interest below. We’ll then contact you as soon as we know more, and let you know how you can get your hands on one.