1973 EEC Hands 50p
The 1973 EEC Hands 50p is a circulating 50p with 89.8 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1973
- Circulation mintage
- 89,775,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- David Wynne
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 1973 EEC Hands 50p worth?
89.8 million were made, so the 1973 EEC Hands 50p is easy to find. A circulated one is worth face value; collectors pay a little more only for uncirculated coins and coins still in their original Royal Mint pack.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with no scratches or contact marks
- Original Royal Mint pack or presentation folder
- A genuine mint error, confirmed by an expert
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1973 EEC Hands 50p rare?
- No. 89.8 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 1973 EEC Hands 50p coins were made?
- 89,775,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 1973 EEC Hands 50p?
- The design is credited to David Wynne.
- What is the 1973 EEC Hands 50p made of?
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). It weighs 13.5 g and measures 30 mm, with a seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) shape.
- Is the 1973 EEC Hands 50p still legal tender?
- No. The original 30 mm 50p stopped being legal tender in 1998 when the smaller coin replaced it. It can no longer be spent, but collectors still want the scarcer designs.
Why the 1973 EEC Hands 50p was made
On 1 January 1973 the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community, on the same day as Ireland and Denmark. The Royal Mint marked the moment with a special 50p, the first time the seven-sided coin had been used to commemorate anything. The 50p itself was still fairly new. It had replaced the old ten shilling note in 1969, more than a year before the rest of the decimal coins arrived on Decimal Day in February 1971.
Nine countries made up the enlarged Community and the sculptor David Wynne turned that number into a ring of nine clasped hands. Almost 90 million were struck for circulation, a huge figure even by the standards of the day, so the coin kept turning up in change for the next quarter of a century. That run ended when a smaller 50p arrived in 1997. The original large coins, this one included, stopped being legal tender at the end of February 1998, which means any you find now is a keepsake rather than spending money.
How to recognize it
Nine hands clasp one another in a ring on the reverse, each gripping the next, in a gesture meant to suggest trust, mutual help and friendship between the nine member states. In the open space at the middle sit the words 50 PENCE and the date 1973, so the year is on the picture side rather than with the Queen. The obverse carries Arnold Machin's portrait of Elizabeth II, the effigy used on British decimal coins until 1984. This is the large original size, 30 mm across and 13.5 grams, with a plain edge. If yours is the small modern size, it isn't this coin. The design is credited to David Wynne.
The other side carries Arnold Machin's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used on UK coins from 1968 to 1984.
1973 EEC Hands 50p by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1973 EEC Hands 50p is the most common of 76 circulating 50p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2017 Benjamin Bunny 50p (25 million).
It was the only circulating commemorative 50p dated 1973.
What to check on your 1973 EEC Hands 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the EEC Hands described above and carry the date 1973; similar designs from other years are a common mix-up.
- Weigh it if you can: a genuine 30 mm 50p weighs 13.5 g. Copies are often light, slightly soft in detail or the wrong color.
- Ignore painted or colored versions sold online as special editions. Color added after the coin left the Mint does not make it a Royal Mint issue and does not add collector value.
- Look at the surfaces under a bright light. Coins straight from a pack have unbroken luster; change-worn coins show scuffs on the high points of the portrait and design.
With close to 90 million made, the EEC Hands coin is one of the most plentiful commemorative 50ps ever issued, far more common than any of the later special designs. Worn examples are everywhere in old coin jars and attract little or no premium. Interest picks up only for coins with full original luster, crisp outlines on the fingers and no bag marks in the open center. A coin that spent years in pockets shows rubbed knuckles, flattened lettering and a dull surface. Since it is no longer legal tender, a sharp example is best thought of as a historical piece rather than a rarity.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 1973 |
| Circulation mintage | 89,775,000 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 13.5 g |
| Diameter | 30 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | David Wynne |
| Portrait | Machin |
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1973 hands 50p still legal tender?
No. It belongs to the original large 50p size, which was replaced by a smaller coin in 1997. All the large 50ps stopped being legal tender at the end of February 1998, so this one can no longer be spent in shops.
What do the nine hands on the 1973 50p mean?
Each hand stands for one of the nine members of the European Economic Community after the UK, Ireland and Denmark joined on 1 January 1973. Clasped together in a ring, they represent trust, mutual help and friendship between the member countries.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.