Spot the difference: The Battle of Britain 50p that caused a stir!
In 2015, a UK 50p was issued to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and quickly earned recognition in the collecting world.
Not only did the design by sculptor Gary Breeze gain a positive reception from the public, it was also the first UK commemorative coin to be issued with THREE different obverses!
The Brilliant Uncirculated Battle of Britain 50p was issued early in 2015 featuring the 4th portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley on the obverse, but NO denomination on either side of the coin! It was quickly dubbed an error coin and some chancers managing to sell the coins on the secondary market for nearly £100 each!
After the controversy surrounding the coin erupted, the Royal Mint confirmed that the Battle of Britain 50p intended for circulation later on in the year WOULD include the ’50 PENCE’ denomination AND the then new 5th portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark. But was this after they had realised their mistake?
It doesn’t stop there though, as the Silver Proof version of the Battle of Britain 50p featured yet another different obverse, showing the 5th portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark but NO DENOMINATION.
It’s never been officially confirmed whether this was a true error or whether there was a die mix up during the year that the coinage portrait changed, but either way it sure makes for interesting collecting!
And then there were four…
In 2019, to mark both the 75th anniversary of D Day and the 50th Anniversary of the 50p, The Royal Mint reissued the Battle of Britain 50p as part of the 50p Military Set.
The 2019 Reissued Battle of Britain 50p featured the reissued date 2019 and Jody Clark’s QEII portrait, meaning there are now officially FOUR different obverses you can find on a Battle of Britain 50p!
Do you have any of the Battle of Britain 50ps in your collection?
Let us know in the comments if you’ve found a rare version of the Battle of Britain 50p in your change, or perhaps you have one of each of the 4 different obverses!
Commemorate the 85th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain
You can get your hand on the 85th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain Gold Plated 50p from The Westminster Collection for just £4.99 when you trial the Battle of Britain 85th Anniversary Gold-plated 50p Collection.
Hello. I have The Battle of Britain 1940 2015 50p coin how much is that worth please.
Hi Leena, the 2015 Battle of Britain 50p entered into circulation late last year and have only just started to turn up in our change, although there are still many collectors searching for it. Until the mintage figures are released we wont know how rare the coin is, so definitely worth keeping hold of it! Thanks, Yasmin
I think this is definitely an error with the no denomination on the Battle of Britain 2015 50p,the royal mint just don’t want to admit it…
I like that you call the people who sold some Battle of Britain 50p’s for £100. Yet you are selling the trio for £145? I’ll get them from the Royal Mint for £116.45.
Hi friends ,
I have 1997 queen Elizabeth second – bailiwick of Jersey fifty pence. I want to sell this
Thanks
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hi
I have 4 ancient coins (3 which are silver and the other a bronze/silver mix), I am wanting to sell them to get some money, but as they were left to me by my late father, am not sure what price to expect? Could you help please?
Thankyou donna
WOW – what a story !! Thank you Yasmin for telling me this, personally i cannot wait to find these and add them to my collection. They will look great side by side in my collection album + will even keep Mr Chris Henry Perkins busy for his next edition – decimal issues of the United Kingdom. Tell me though Yasmin ?, are you a numismatic collector !!!