1977 Silver Jubilee 50c Coin
The 1977 Silver Jubilee 50c is a circulating 50c coin with 25 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1977
- Circulation mintage
- 25,000,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Composition
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel)
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1977 Silver Jubilee 50c worth?
25 million were made, so the 1977 Silver Jubilee 50c is easy to find. A circulated one is worth face value; collectors pay a little more only for uncirculated coins.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with no bag marks
- An original mint roll or set
- A recognized variety or genuine error
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1977 Silver Jubilee 50c rare?
- No. 25 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 1977 Silver Jubilee 50c coins were made?
- 25,000,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1977 Silver Jubilee 50c made of?
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). It weighs 15.55 g and measures 31.65 mm, with a 12-sided shape.
- Is the 1977 Silver Jubilee 50c still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 50c coin, commemoratives included, is legal tender in Australia.
Why the 1977 Silver Jubilee 50c was made
Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne on 6 February 1952 and in 1977 the Commonwealth celebrated 25 years of her reign. Australia joined in with a commemorative 50c, its second special design for the denomination after the Captain Cook coin of 1970. The Queen traveled widely during her Jubilee year and Australia was one of the countries she toured, so the coin arrived while interest in the monarchy was running high.
This was a mass circulation issue. The Royal Australian Mint struck 25,000,000 for everyday use, one of the larger figures among the commemorative 50c coins. They spread through the banks into change across the country. Plenty were kept as souvenirs at the time, which is why so many survive in drawers and tins today. For collectors the coin is part of the early run of 50c commemoratives that defined the denomination's role: a large, heavy coin with enough room on its face to carry a proper design. It also sits neatly beside the later royal coins on the 50c, the 1981 Royal Wedding and the 2000 Royal Visit, if you enjoy collecting by theme.
How to recognize it
Stuart Devlin designed the reverse. At its center is a sprig of wattle, Australia's floral emblem, surrounded by a ring of overlapping crowns, one crown for each year of the reign. Lettering marks the Silver Jubilee along with the 50 CENTS denomination. It is a busy design, so worn coins can be hard to read, but the circle of crowns usually survives well enough to recognize. The obverse shows Arnold Machin's portrait of the Queen, used on Australian coins from 1966 to 1984, with 1977 in the legend. As with all 12-sided 50c coins, it measures 31.65 mm across the flats, weighs 15.55 g and has a plain edge.
1977 Silver Jubilee 50c by the numbers
In mintage terms the 1977 Silver Jubilee 50c ranks 29th lowest of 32 circulating 50c coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 1998 Bass and Flinders 50c (22.4 million); the next more common is the 2005 End of World War II 60th 50c (26.6 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games 50c with 49.6 million, about 2 times as many. The scarcest is the 2017 1967 Referendum and Mabo 50c with 1.4 million, 18 times fewer than this one.
It was the only circulating commemorative 50c coin dated 1977.
What to check on your 1977 Silver Jubilee 50c
- Confirm the design and date: Silver Jubilee dated 1977.
- Check the shape and size: the 50c is 12-sided, 31.65 mm across and weighs 15.55 g.
- Look at the surfaces under a light. Coins from mint rolls or sets have unbroken luster; change-worn coins show scuffs on the high points.
- Never clean it. Polishing leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
Twenty-five million coins make this one of the common commemoratives, so circulated examples are face value. Condition decides everything. Look at the crowns and the wattle under a good light: on a well preserved coin the small details are crisp and the fields still have some luster. Such coins can earn a small premium from someone building a full run of 50c commemoratives. Heavily worn or scratched coins are pocket change. Avoid cleaning any old 50c to make it shine, since polishing leaves fine lines that collectors spot immediately.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Australian Mint |
| Year | 1977 |
| Circulation mintage | 25,000,000 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 15.55 g |
| Diameter | 31.65 mm |
| Shape | 12-sided |
| Edge | Plain |
Frequently asked questions
What does the 1977 50c with crowns commemorate?
It marks the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, 25 years after she became Queen in February 1952. The ring of crowns stands for the years of her reign, with a sprig of wattle at the center.
How many 1977 Silver Jubilee 50c coins were made?
The circulation mintage was 25,000,000. That is a large number even by commemorative standards, so the coin is easy to find and a worn example is worth face value. Only a sharp uncirculated coin draws extra interest.
Mintage figures: Australian fifty-cent coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Australian Mint figures. How we build these pages.