Royal Shield 50p (2008 to 2022)
The Royal Shield 50p is the everyday 50p reverse from 2008 to 2022. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2008 to 2022
- Circulation mintage
- 353,590,405
- 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 Royal Shield 50p worth?
The everyday Royal Shield 50p is worth face value in circulated condition. The exceptions are the dates struck only for collector sets (2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018 and 2021), which were never issued to banks and turn up in change only when someone spends a set coin.
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 Royal Shield 50p rare?
- No. 353.6 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many Royal Shield 50p coins were made?
- 353,590,405 were struck for circulation.
- What is the Royal Shield 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 Royal Shield 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
The story of the Royal Shield 50p
In 2005 the Royal Mint held an open competition to redesign the reverses of the everyday coins, the first full redesign since decimalization. It drew thousands of entries. The winner was Matthew Dent, a young graphic designer with no background in coin design. His idea was a puzzle: each coin from the 1p to the 50p would carry one section of the Royal Arms shield, so that when the six coins are placed together in the right arrangement the complete shield appears. The pound coin carried the whole shield.
The new designs went into circulation in 2008, replacing Britannia on the 50p after nearly four decades. The change caused some protest, since Britannia had been a feature of British coins for centuries, but Dent's set proved popular once people saw how the pieces fit together. It was the first time the 50p had shown heraldry rather than a figure on its definitive reverse.
The Royal Shield 50p stayed in use until 2022, spanning two portraits of the Queen. Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait was on the obverse until 2015, when Jody Clark's fifth portrait took over. In 2015 both portraits were used, so that year exists in two versions. Commemorative 50ps took a large share of production through much of the run, from the 2009 Kew Gardens coin to the 2011 Olympic and Paralympic sports series. In some years no Royal Shield coins were struck for circulation at all. After the Queen's death in 2022, the Royal Mint introduced a new set of designs for King Charles III. Atlantic Salmon succeeded the Royal Shield on the 50p from 2023.
How to recognize it
The reverse shows a section of the Royal Arms shield, with part of the quartered arms inside it. The words FIFTY PENCE complete the reverse. The section of shield is cropped tightly against the edge of the coin, a deliberate effect so the coins line up when placed together. The date and the Queen's portrait are on the obverse. To identify the portrait, look for Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait on coins from 2008 to 2015 or Jody Clark's portrait from 2015 to 2022. Matthew Dent designed the reverse. The coin is the standard 27.3 mm seven-sided cupronickel 50p, identical in size to the late Britannia coins.
Over the run the other side carried the portraits of the monarch by Ian Rank-Broadley and Jody Clark, so the date and portrait together tell you which year you have.
Royal Shield 50p by the numbers
Across 10 circulation dates the Royal Mint struck 353.6 million Royal Shield 50p coins. The biggest year was 2019 with 122 million; the smallest circulation year was 2017 with 1.8 million, about 68 times fewer.
6 dates were struck only for collector sets: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018 and 2021. Those are the dates to look for in change, because every one found there was spent from a set.
What to check on your Royal Shield 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the Royal Shield described above; 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 design.
The years data shows clear gaps. No Royal Shield 50ps were struck for circulation in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018 or 2021, so those dates appear only in collector sets and are worth checking for if you buy one. The lowest circulation year is 2017, with just 1,800,000. At the other end, 2019 saw 122,000,000 struck. Circulated coins from the main years are face value coins, but a 2017 can bring a small premium in good condition. Bright, unmarked coins with set-only dates almost always come from Royal Mint annual sets, not from change. If you want to try the puzzle yourself, any mix of dates will do, because the shield sections did not change during the run.
Royal Shield 50p mintage by year
| Year | Circulation mintage | Portrait | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 22,747,000 | Rank-Broadley | 27.3 mm |
| 2009 | Sets only | Rank-Broadley | 27.3 mm |
| 2010 | Sets only | Rank-Broadley | 27.3 mm |
| 2011 | Sets only | Rank-Broadley | 27.3 mm |
| 2012 | 32,300,030 | Rank-Broadley | 27.3 mm |
| 2013 | 10,301,000 | Rank-Broadley | 27.3 mm |
| 2014 | 49,001,000 | Rank-Broadley | 27.3 mm |
| 2015 | 20,101,000 | Rank-Broadley | 27.3 mm |
| 2015 | 39,300,000 | Clark | 27.3 mm |
| 2016 | Sets only | Clark | 27.3 mm |
| 2017 | 1,800,000 | Clark | 27.3 mm |
| 2018 | Sets only | Clark | 27.3 mm |
| 2019 | 122,000,000 | Clark | 27.3 mm |
| 2020 | 46,540,375 | Clark | 27.3 mm |
| 2021 | Sets only | Clark | 27.3 mm |
| 2022 | 9,500,000 | Clark | 27.3 mm |
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2008 to 2022 |
| Circulation mintage | 353,590,405 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.0 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Frequently asked questions
Which Royal Shield 50p years are rare?
The 2017 coin is the scarcest circulation year, with 1,800,000 struck. No Royal Shield 50ps were made for circulation in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018 or 2021, so those dates come only from collector sets.
Who designed the Royal Shield 50p?
Matthew Dent, who won a Royal Mint competition held in 2005. His designs split the Royal Arms shield across the 1p to the 50p so the full shield appears when the six coins are placed together.
Why are there two 2015 Royal Shield 50ps?
In 2015 the Royal Mint changed the Queen's portrait. Early coins carried Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait, with 20,101,000 struck, while later ones used Jody Clark's new portrait, with 39,300,000 struck. Both versions are common.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.