2006 Victoria Cross 50p
The 2006 Victoria Cross 50p is a circulating 50p with 12.1 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2006
- Circulation mintage
- 12,087,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- Claire Aldridge
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 2006 Victoria Cross 50p worth?
12.1 million were made, so the 2006 Victoria Cross 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 2006 Victoria Cross 50p rare?
- No. 12.1 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2006 Victoria Cross 50p coins were made?
- 12,087,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2006 Victoria Cross 50p?
- The design is credited to Claire Aldridge.
- What is the 2006 Victoria Cross 50p made of?
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). It weighs 8.0 g and measures 27.3 mm, with a seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) shape.
- Is the 2006 Victoria Cross 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2006 Victoria Cross 50p was made
The Victoria Cross was instituted by a royal warrant dated 29 January 1856, during the Crimean War. Queen Victoria wanted an award that could go to any member of the armed forces, regardless of rank, for outstanding bravery in the face of the enemy. It remains the highest British award for gallantry. The medal itself has changed little since Victoria's day: a simple bronze cross carrying the words FOR VALOUR, worn from a crimson ribbon. The first awards were presented by Queen Victoria herself at a ceremony in Hyde Park in June 1857.
For the 150th anniversary in 2006 the Royal Mint issued two 50ps rather than one. This first design, by Claire Aldridge, shows the medal itself. The second, by Clive Duncan, shows an act of heroism, a soldier carrying a wounded comrade. Just over 12 million of the medal design were struck for circulation, slightly more than its companion and the two reached change in the same year. Together they make a natural pair and many collectors who find one go looking for the other.
How to recognize it
The reverse shows the Victoria Cross from both sides at once, the front of the medal beside its back. In the center of the back you'll see the date 29 JAN 1856, the date of the royal warrant. The letters VC sit to the right and the value FIFTY PENCE runs below. Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of the Queen and the year 2006 are on the obverse. The coin is the 27.3 mm size with a plain edge. Its companion, the Heroic Acts coin, shows a soldier carrying a comrade, so the two are easy to tell apart. Claire Aldridge designed this one.
The other side carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1998 to 2015.
2006 Victoria Cross 50p by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 2006 Victoria Cross 50p ranks 72nd lowest of 76 circulating 50p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2000 Public Libraries 50p (11.3 million); the next more common is the 2005 Samuel Johnson's Dictionary 50p (17.6 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1973 EEC Hands 50p with 89.8 million, about 7.4 times as many. The scarcest is the 1992 Single Market 50p with 109,000, 111 times fewer than this one.
2006 brought 1 other circulating 50p design: the Victoria Cross Heroic Acts (10 million). The 2006 Victoria Cross 50p was the most plentiful of the year.
What to check on your 2006 Victoria Cross 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the Victoria Cross described above and carry the date 2006; similar designs from other years are a common mix-up.
- Weigh it if you can: a genuine 27.3 mm 50p weighs 8.0 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.
Around 12 million make this a common coin and circulated pieces sit at face value. Many people want both 2006 Victoria Cross designs together, so it pays to keep an eye out for the Heroic Acts coin too. In better grades, look at the crisp edges of the cross arms and the small date in the middle; both soften quickly with wear. An uncirculated coin has a bright, even surface, whereas a coin from change usually shows scuffs across the two crosses and a dull field.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2006 |
| Circulation mintage | 12,087,000 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.0 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Claire Aldridge |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Other 2006 50p coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 Victoria Cross Heroic Acts 50p | 10,000,500 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Why are there two Victoria Cross 50p coins?
The Royal Mint marked the 150th anniversary of the Victoria Cross in 2006 with two designs. Claire Aldridge's coin shows the medal itself, front and back, while Clive Duncan's coin shows a soldier carrying a wounded comrade.
What date is on the Victoria Cross 50p?
The back of the medal in the design shows 29 JAN 1856, the date of the royal warrant that created the award. The year of issue, 2006, appears on the Queen's side of the coin.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.