The Rare Brexit 50p: Have you got one?

rare brexit 50p coins 1024x426 - The Rare Brexit 50p: Have you got one?



If you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering, “Do I own this incredibly rare 50p?”. Well here’s some background information: After the historic 2016 referendum, the UK officially left the European Union on 31st January 2020. To mark this pivotal moment in modern British history, the Brexit 50p—also known as the UK Withdrawal from the EU 50p—was issued. However, due to multiple delays and deferrals, three distinct versions exist, making it one of the most fascinating modern coin releases.

The Three Brexit 50p Coins

The 29th March 2019 Brexit 50p

In 2018, it was announced that a commemorative 50p would be struck to mark the UK’s departure from the EU, originally scheduled for 29th March 2019. The coin’s design was revealed by the Treasury on social media, featuring the inscription “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations” alongside the planned withdrawal date.

brexit 50p announcement - The Rare Brexit 50p: Have you got one?
HM Treasury revealed the original Brexit 50p design on X (then Twitter)

However, after Brexit was postponed, only 1,000 coins with this date were minted. Of these, 990 were melted down, leaving just 10 surviving examples securely held by The Royal Mint. None of these coins were released into circulation, making them impossible to find in change.

Rare 50p – Worth Over £40,000!

As the UK’s departure was rescheduled for 31st October 2019, The Royal Mint struck over one million new Brexit 50ps featuring the revised date. Yet, history repeated itself, and on 28th October 2019, Brexit was delayed once more. As a result, the vast majority of these coins were melted down before they could enter circulation.

rare brexit 50p coins - The Rare Brexit 50p: Have you got one?

However, against all odds, two examples have surfaced in circulation, making them some of the rarest and most valuable 50ps ever discovered.

Given their extreme rarity, these coins are estimated to be worth over £40,000 each, according to numismatic specialists at Spink and Son auction house! Their discovery has been described as a “Golden Ticket moment”, emphasising their significance in the world of coin collecting. With only two known examples in existence, they could potentially break records for a UK circulating coin should they ever go to auction.

The 31st January 2020 Brexit 50p

31 january 2020 brexit 50p - The Rare Brexit 50p: Have you got one?

With Brexit finally taking place on 31st January 2020, The Royal Mint once again revised the 50p design to reflect the correct date. This version entered circulation as intended, with 10,001,000 coins released.

How Rare Is the Brexit 50p?

While the 31st January 2020 Brexit 50p is an important historical coin, its mintage of over 10 million means it is not particularly rare. In contrast, the 31st October 2019 Brexit 50ps are some of the rarest modern UK coins, with just two known examples in existence—and an estimated value of over £40,000 each, according to numismatic specialists at Spink and Son auction house!

rare brexit 50p coins 1024x426 - The Rare Brexit 50p: Have you got one?

A Rare and Controversial 50p Coin

The Brexit 50p sparked debate beyond its rarity. Some critics, including author Sir Philip Pullman, objected to the lack of an Oxford comma in the coin’s inscription, arguing that “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations” should have included a comma after “prosperity.”

Despite the controversy, the Brexit 50p remains a fascinating piece of numismatic history, marking a significant political moment and offering collectors a rare opportunity to own a coin with an unusual backstory.

Could There Be More £40,000 Brexit 50ps Out There?

With only two known examples of the ultra-rare 31st October 2019 Brexit 50p discovered so far, it raises the thrilling possibility that more could be waiting to be found. Collectors are being urged to check their change—you might just strike gold!

>>> You can buy the 2020 UK Brexit CERTIFIED BU 50p by clicking here <<<

Media hype sees Kew Gardens 50p prices sky-rocket

kew - Media hype sees Kew Gardens 50p prices sky-rocket

The Kew Gardens 50p is the UK’s rarest circulation coin

The Royal Mint has announced that the Kew Gardens 50p coin is the scarcest coin in circulation today.

The result has been media hype that has seen prices for this everyday circulation coin sky-rocket.  The Guardian first reported prices being paid of £24 for this 50 pence coin but since then the Daily Mirror and other media sources have identified coins selling for as much as £120 – 240 times it face value!

Even more incredibly, a Brilliant Uncirculated version of the coin in its original Royal Mint pack, which would have first sold for less than £10, was showing bids of £310 on e-Bay.

So how rare is this coin?

There are 940,000,000 50 pence coins in circulation and just 210,000 Kew Gardens 50p pieces were ever issued into circulation.  That means that they account for 0.02% of the 50p coins in circulation.  Or to look at it another way, there is just 1 coin for every 300 people in the UK.

It is a pretty rare coin but despite collector interest, most of the coins released are still in circulation, meaning the sharp-eyed collector can still find one for just 50p.  So whilst it may be worth a sensible premium if you’re desperate to own one, prices of £100 are frankly absurd.

If I was you, I’d let the hype die down and look again in a month or two.

Read about the 50p that’s even rarer than Kew Gardens>


For more information on the coins in your pocket and change collecting visit www.changechecker.org.

A new Edith Cavell £2 Coin?

In the wake of the furore surrounding the brand new First World War commemorative £2 featuring Lord Kitchener, a few ideas have been mooted as to who else should be included in the five-year commemorative coin series from outbreak through to armistice.

2014 wwi c2a32 single - A new Edith Cavell £2 Coin?

The new Kitchener £2 has been criticised for being too jingoistic

Kitchener’s famous finger pointing at the reader and his call ‘Your Country Needs You’ has been branded by critics as jingoistic and a glorification of war rather than a reflection on the sheer loss of life which occurred.

The Royal Mint has confirmed that future designs would include other figures connected with the war, but have remained tight-lipped on who these figures will be.

35,000 Signatures

Edith Cavell is amongst the most popular suggestions, and a petition with over 35,000 in signatures has added considerable weight to the case.

edith cavell 2 - A new Edith Cavell £2 Coin?

An artist’s impression of what an Edith Cavell £2 coin might look like

Born as the daughter of a vicar in 1865, Edith Cavell was the wartime nurse who was executed for providing care to wounded soldiers irrespective of their nationality.  She, along with Belgian and French colleagues helped over 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium. She was arrested by a German military court, found guilty of ‘assisting men to the enemy’ and despite worldwide condemnation, was shot by a German firing squad on 12 October 1915.

Patriotism is not enough…

Her last words were “I realise that patriotism is not enough, I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.”

Thousands of people lined the streets for her funeral procession before she was buried at Norwich Cathedral.

Sioned-Mair Richards, the Sheffield Labour Councillor who started the petition believes Cavell was ‘simply a nurse trying to do her duty, and should be honoured by her country as a woman who was one of the best’.

Which design would you prefer to appear on this year’s £2 coin? Vote below.


2014 wwi c2a32 single - A new Edith Cavell £2 Coin?

Own a Kitchener £2 Coin