2000 Royal Visit 50c Coin
The 2000 Royal Visit 50c is a circulating 50c coin with 5.1 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2000
- Circulation mintage
- 5,100,000
- 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 2000 Royal Visit 50c worth?
5.1 million were made, so the 2000 Royal Visit 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 2000 Royal Visit 50c rare?
- No. 5.1 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2000 Royal Visit 50c coins were made?
- 5,100,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2000 Royal Visit 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 2000 Royal Visit 50c still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 50c coin, commemoratives included, is legal tender in Australia.
Why the 2000 Royal Visit 50c was made
Queen Elizabeth II toured Australia in March 2000, only a few months after Australians voted against becoming a republic in the referendum of November 1999. The Royal Australian Mint marked the visit with a commemorative 50c that turned out to be one of the most unusual coins in the decimal series. The reason is on the side most people don't bother to check: the obverse.
In the late 1990s the Mint invited new portraits of the Queen and its own designer Vladimir Gottwald produced one of the finalists. Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait was chosen for regular coinage, but Gottwald's version was approved for a single use on this coin. That makes the Royal Visit 50c the only circulating Australian coin with his portrait of the Queen. The circulation mintage was 5,100,000, one of the lower figures for a 50c of its era, which adds to the interest. It was released during a busy year for special coins, alongside the Millennium 50c. It is often overlooked by people who only glance at the reverse.
How to recognize it
Vladimir Gottwald designed both sides. The reverse shows the flagpole on top of Parliament House in Canberra with the Australian flag flying from it, along with a small St Edward's Crown. Lettering reads ROYAL VISIT 2000 with the denomination 50. The obverse is the real giveaway: Gottwald's portrait looks noticeably different from the Rank-Broadley and Maklouf effigies on other coins of the period. Checking both sides takes seconds and is the surest way to confirm this coin. The coin otherwise follows standard specifications, with 12 sides, 31.65 mm across the flats, 15.55 g of cupronickel and a plain edge. The tall flagpole runs up the center of the reverse, an image unlike any other 50c.
2000 Royal Visit 50c by the numbers
By the numbers, the 2000 Royal Visit 50c ranks 15th lowest of 32 circulating 50c coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 1991 25 Years of Decimal Currency 50c (4.7 million); the next more common is the 2016 50 Years of Decimal Currency 50c (7 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games 50c with 49.6 million, about 9.7 times as many. The scarcest is the 2017 1967 Referendum and Mabo 50c with 1.4 million, 3.6 times fewer than this one.
It shared 2000 with 1 other circulating 50c coin design: the Millennium Year (16.6 million). The 2000 Royal Visit 50c was the scarcest of the year.
What to check on your 2000 Royal Visit 50c
- Confirm the design and date: Royal Visit dated 2000.
- 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.
At 5.1 million, the mintage is low for a 1990s or 2000s commemorative 50c and well below the Millennium coin of the same year. Circulated examples are still face value, but collectors like this coin for its one-off obverse and clean, uncirculated coins earn a small premium. Wear shows first on the Queen's portrait and the flag. Compare your coin's obverse with an ordinary 2000 coin side by side: the difference in the portrait is clear once you've seen both.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Australian Mint |
| Year | 2000 |
| Circulation mintage | 5,100,000 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 15.55 g |
| Diameter | 31.65 mm |
| Shape | 12-sided |
| Edge | Plain |
Other 2000 50c coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 Millennium Year 50c Coin | 16,600,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Why does the Queen look different on the 2000 Royal Visit 50c?
The obverse uses a portrait by Vladimir Gottwald of the Royal Australian Mint. It was approved for this coin only, so no other circulating Australian coin carries his portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
Is the 2000 Royal Visit 50c rare?
It is scarcer than most 50c coins of the time, with 5,100,000 released, but it is not rare. Coins from change are face value. Uncirculated examples are popular and can bring a small premium.
Mintage figures: Australian fifty-cent coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Australian Mint figures. How we build these pages.