The Royal Mint has confirmed that a 50p coin celebrating Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee will be released into circulation via Post Offices across the UK from Monday 7th February 2022.
There is also a commemorative version of this coin (with a different design showing the Queen on horseback, read below) released and is available to order now on the Royal mint website via the link below.
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Jubilee 50p Circulated coins
The first 50 pence coin to be entering circulation in commemoration of a Royal event is available via post offices across Britain from February to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
The new coins have started showing up in coin change already.
Is this the first Jubilee fifty pence in circulation?
The Platinum Jubilee 50p coins are expected to be highly sought after due to the limited release of 1.3 million coins for UK Post Offices.
Which design of the Platinum Jubilee 50p coin is entering circulation?
There are two different designs of the Platinum Jubilee 50p coin, the circulated coin will have the usual Queen’s head portrait on the heads side.
The two sides to every coin commonly referred to as “Heads” or “Tails” on UK coins are known as the Obverse (the front face which we call heads) and Reverse (the back face or tails side with the commemorative design) to coin collectors. The obverse of a coin is commonly called heads because it often depicts the head of a prominent person such as Her Majesty The Queen!
To learn more about UK coin obverse designs over the years, read the history of the coinage portraits of Her Majesty The Queen.
What is the Reverse Design?
The circulated version of this coin will feature a celebration of the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty’s accession to the throne in 1952. The design, from company Osborne Ross, features a number 70 engraved on the tails side of the coin, with the monarch’s cipher and dates of reign 1952-2022 framed inside the zero.
What is the Obverse Design?
On the opposite side is the fifth definitive portrait of The Queen, by Jody Clark, which appears on all circulating UK coins.
The design for the 50p has been personally approved by The Queen.
What is the Commemorative Coin design?
The Commemorative or Not Intended For Circulation (NIFC) coin is the second coin design by artist John Bergdahl and depicts the Queen on horseback on its heads side.
Jubilee 50p Coin Horseback
The Jubilee 50p coin horseback variant will not enter circulation and is only available as a commemorative coin.
The horseback edition can be purchased (above) directly from the Royal Mint website or check eBay listings using the green button below:
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How many coins will be entering circulation?
The maximum mintage of this fifty pence is capped at 5 million coins. 5,000,070 coins to be exact to acknowledge our monarch’s 70 years on the throne.
Only 1.3 million coins will become available on limited release at UK post offices from 7th February.
The Royal Mint has already started to strike the coins at their highly secure site in South Wales, with a pressure of around 60 tonnes striking up to 850 coins a minute!
Jubilee 50p Video
You can watch the video of the coins in production on our Youtube Channel.
What do people think of the design?
The Royal Mint’s Director of UK Currency Mark Loveridge said:
Coins tell the story of our nation and we are delighted to be working with the Post Office to mark this special Royal occasion. By issuing the Platinum Jubilee coin into circulation it ensures that this significant moment in history can be cherished for generations to come.
This special 50 pence features an elegant and bold number 70 in celebration of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee year, and we expect it to become one of the nation’s most collectable coins. We are delighted that 1.3 million coins baring this unique design will be accessible at Post Offices across the UK.
Nick Read, Chief Executive at the Post Office, said:
We are thrilled to be part of the celebrations for Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee year and that our 11,500 Post Offices across the whole of the United Kingdom will exclusively start the circulation of this special 50p coin from Monday 7th February.
Postmasters are at the heart of their local communities and have been throughout our 360-year history. I have no doubt that this will be a real honour and privilege for Postmasters and their teams.
Members of the public can find details of their local Post Office by visiting its website and using the Post Office Branch Finder tool.
To be in with the chance of receiving the new 50p, a Post Office customer will need to purchase a product or service at the branch as it is not possible to swap a 50p coin for this special 50p coin at the Post Office counter.
Is there a 70p coin?
No, it’s a 50p coin. The 70 on the design refers to how many years the Queen has been on the throne of England.
We have seen some Twitters users confused by this thinking it’s a 70p coin as it says “70” on it!
