2019 50 Years of the 50p: British Military Set 50p
The 2019 50 Years of the 50p: British Military Set 50p is a Royal Mint collector issue that was never released into circulation. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2019
- Issued as
- Collector packs and sets only
- Value band
- Small premium
- Designer
- Various
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 2019 50 Years of the 50p: British Military Set 50p worth?
This design was never released into circulation. The Royal Mint sold it in brilliant uncirculated packs and annual sets, so almost every example is a collector piece. One found in change is still legal tender at 50 pence; out of its pack it brings a small premium at most, while a coin still sealed in its original packaging is what collectors want.
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 2019 50 Years of the 50p: British Military Set 50p rare?
- It is scarcer than most 50p coins. It was never issued into circulation, so most examples are in collector packs.
- How many 2019 50 Years of the 50p: British Military Set 50p coins were made?
- None were made for circulation. The Mint sold this design only in packs and sets.
- What is the 2019 50 Years of the 50p: British Military Set 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 2019 50 Years of the 50p: British Military Set 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2019 50 Years of the 50p: British Military Set 50p was made
The second set marking the 50p's half century focused on military anniversaries. It brings back five designs first struck between 1994 and 2016: the 1994 coin for the 50th anniversary of the D-Day landings, the two 2006 coins for the 150th anniversary of the Victoria Cross, the 2015 coin for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the 2016 coin for the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. The Victoria Cross was created in 1856 and is Britain's highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy.
The D-Day coin is an interesting case. The 1994 original was struck on the old, larger 50p, which gave way to today's smaller size in 1997, so the 2019 version shows that design on the modern blank. None of the set coins went to banks. They were sold as a set of brilliant uncirculated coins, which means a 2019-dated military 50p in your change has come out of a set and been spent. It is legal tender at face value, but loose ones are seldom seen.
How to recognize it
The reverses follow the original designs. The D-Day coin shows the landings with aircraft overhead. One Victoria Cross coin shows the medal itself; the other shows a soldier carrying a wounded comrade. The Battle of Britain coin shows airmen and aircraft, while the Hastings coin shows King Harold II struck by an arrow. The certain test is the obverse: every coin in the set has the queen's portrait used in 2019 with the 2019 date. An original 2006 Victoria Cross carries 2006 on that side. The set's designers are listed as various, since each reverse came from a different artist.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2019 50 Years of the 50p: British Military Set 50p by the numbers
No circulation mintage exists for the 2019 50 Years of the 50p: British Military Set 50p because none were released to banks. The Royal Mint's other collector-only 50p coins dated 2019 were The Gruffalo, Stephen Hawking, Peter Rabbit, 50 Years of the 50p: British Culture Set, The Gruffalo and Mouse, Wallace and Gromit and The Snowman.
For comparison, the 50p coins that did reach change in 2019 were the Paddington at the Tower (9 million), the Paddington at St Paul's (9 million) and the Sherlock Holmes (8.6 million).
What to check on your 2019 50 Years of the 50p: British Military Set 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the 50 Years of the 50p: British Military Set described above and carry the date 2019; 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.
Military 50ps are popular. This set lets collectors own five of them with matching dates. The originals were issued into circulation, so the earlier dates of these designs are common in change; the 2019 versions are not. A complete set in its packaging carries a collector premium. A single 2019 coin found in change has lost its packaging and usually its fresh surfaces too, which leaves it between face value and a small premium. Compare luster: set coins shine evenly, while spent coins have nicks on the rims and dulled detail on the aircraft and figures.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2019 |
| Circulation mintage | None (collector issue) |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.0 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Various |
| Portrait | Clark |
Other 2019 50p coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 Paddington at the Tower 50p | 9,001,000 | Face value |
| 2019 Paddington at St Paul's 50p | 9,001,000 | Face value |
| 2019 Sherlock Holmes 50p | 8,602,000 | Face value |
| 2019 Gruffalo 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2019 Stephen Hawking 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2019 Peter Rabbit 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2019 50 Years of the 50p: British Culture Set 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2019 Gruffalo and Mouse 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2019 Wallace and Gromit 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2019 Snowman 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
Frequently asked questions
What coins are in the 2019 British Military 50p set?
Five reissued designs: D-Day Landings (1994), two Victoria Cross designs (2006), Battle of Britain (2015) and Battle of Hastings (2016). All carry the 2019 date on the queen's side and were sold only in sets.
Is my 2019 Battle of Hastings 50p rare?
It comes from the 2019 British Military set rather than the 2016 circulation issue. It was never sent to banks, so it is unusual to find loose, but a spent single coin draws far less interest than a complete set.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.