From 1982 the British fifty pence replaced NEW PENCE with the inscription FIFTY PENCE, and this coin belongs to the first year of the new version. Christopher Ironside’s design itself did not change: the same seated Britannia, only now the value is spelled out. In 1982, 51,312,000 of these coins were struck.

The fifty pence was introduced in 1969 to replace the ten shilling note, which lasted only about five months. The heptagon with curved sides was the world’s first coin of this shape: each side is an arc centred on the opposite corner, giving a constant width so that machines accept it in any position.

The obverse shows Arnold Machin’s portrait of Elizabeth II, the Queen in the tiara Queen Mary gave her as a wedding present; this portrait stayed on the fifty pence until 1984. Britannia on the reverse continues a long tradition, appearing on British coins since 1672. Paired with a 1981 coin, this piece shows the change of inscription, a useful entry in a date run.

Grade VF: signs of circulation are visible on the high points of the relief, while Britannia, the portrait and the words FIFTY PENCE read clearly.

Would you like to complete the whole series? See the other issues in the VPcoins catalogue.