Code-Cracking Coins Go Global!

Today we’ve heard the news of an Australian 50 cent coin being released featuring a code-cracking design which has got Change Checkers across the globe talking…

That’s because FOUR unique layers of code have been included in the design, each containing special messages about the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) – with the coin issued in celebration of their 75th anniversary.

New Australian 50 cent celebrates 75th Anniversary of the ASD. Credit: Royal Australian Mint

The challenge for Australian collectors really is on to decipher the codes, including modern binary messages alongside coding which dates back thousands of years!

But, for collectors here in the UK, I’m sure this new Australian 50 cent has got you thinking about a recent 50p release with a design just waiting to be deciphered…

This UK 50p was issued to celebrate the life and achievements of famed war hero and cryptologist, Alan Turing.

Now, there’s no surprise this coin was popular with collectors. Not only is the 50p the UK’s most collected coin, but the release of last year’s Turing £50 banknote was the talk of the town! However, what really caught the attention of collectors was the design of the 50p…

You see, The Royal Mint have included not just one, but THREE hidden codes on the reverse of the Alan Turing 50p – can you spot them all?

GEARS GRIN THAN

Can you spot the words ‘GEARS GRIN THAN’ on the design of this coin?


When these words are entered into the ‘What 3 Words‘ navigation database, it shows a location for the University of Cambridge, where Turing studied mathematics!

ONLY A FORETASTE OF WHAT’S TO COME

The next hidden message is one of my favourite features of any UK coin.


Alan Turing’s famous quote ‘Only a foretaste of what is to come’ appears as an inscription.
This quote came from his reflections of his code-breaking machine, Bombe.

CD AND MD

And of course, the designers behind this fantastic design get an honorary feature, with Christian Davies and Matt Dent’s initials featuring as an inscription.

I’m sure you’ll agree that these new coins are quite unlike anything we’ve seen before and the code-breaking elements are an incredibly fun addition to an already stunning design.

I’d love to hear what you think of these designs and whether you can crack the codes! Let me know in the comments below!

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Your top Winnie the Pooh 50p revealed!

Now that the Winnie the Pooh 50p Collection has concluded, with the 2022 UK Winnie the Pooh and Friends 50p, we wanted to know what your favourite design is!

And the results are in!

Vote Results

Coming out on top spot is the 2022 Winnie the Pooh and Friends 50p, taking 31% of the votes!

Issued in 2022, this coin features a design of Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore, just as we remember them from A. A. Milne’s original books. The charming original illustrations from E. H. Shepard feature on all the 50p coins in the Winnie the Pooh coin collection.

These 50ps have been some of the most popular and in-demand coins of recent years, with thousands of collectors missing out on securing them in precious metal specifications.

Furthermore, the 2020 Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin, and Piglet 50p coins are no longer available at The Royal Mint, in any specifications.

Change Checker has a limited number of the 2020 Winnie the Pooh 50p coins remaining for collectors.

Fill the gaps in your collection before it’s too late! Click here to browse the complete Winnie the Pooh 50p range >>


Where did your favourite Winnie the Pooh 50p place in our vote? Let us know in the comments below!


Fill the gaps in your Winnie the Pooh 50p collection!

Everything you need to know about the Winnie the Pooh 50p series – before the last one is issued!

In 2020, The Royal Mint announced a brand new 9-coin 50p collection celebrating the beloved Winnie the Pooh books!

The series saw the loveable old bear, and his friends from Hundred Acre Wood, feature on 50p coins from 2020, through to 2022.

Winnie the Pooh 50p series. Showing 9 50p coins in a 3 by 3 grid.
Top row, from left to right: Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin, and Piglet.
Middle row, from left to right: Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Owl, and Tigger
Bottom row, from left to right: Eeyore, Kanga and Roo, and final coin showing a question mark.
The Winnie the Pooh 50p series. Browse the range here >>

But as the final coin in the series is set to be issued soon, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about the Winnie the Pooh 50p series…

Demand drives sell-outs

Despite the series starting in 2020, the demand for the Winnie the Pooh 50p coins is so high, that the 2022 Eeyore 50p sold out within just HOURS of issue at The Royal Mint.

In fact, this coin was so popular that some collectors were even prepared to pay over retail price on the secondary market site, eBay.

2022 Eeyore Silver Proof 50p sold listing on eBay - showing £99.95 sold price.
2022 UK Eeyore Silver Proof 50p sells for £99.95 on eBay. (eBay UK)

Whilst it’s important to remember that anyone can list anything on secondary market sites, for whatever price they wish, this sold listing confirms that there is serious appetite for the Winnie the Pooh 50p coins.

Reverse designs by The Walt Disney Company

First in the series we saw Winnie the Pooh himself, just as we remember him.

2020 Winnie the Pooh 50p. Shows Winnie the Pooh sat down, with an overturned pot of honey and a bumble bee.
Inscription reads: 'Winnie the Pooh', with Disney copyright in bottom left.
2020 Winnie the Pooh 50p

The coin’s reverse design was produced by The Walt Disney Company which features an original illustration from A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh storybooks by E.H. Shepard.

Sitting alongside an overturned pot of honey, Winnie the Pooh can be seen gazing at a bumblebee – because as you know, where there’s honey, there’s bees…

This was the first time Winnie the Pooh had featured on a UK coin and it was so popular that all 18,000 Silver Proof 50p coins sold out in LESS THAN 12 HOURS.

Worldwide Popularity

Illustration by Ernest Howard Shepard from Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), by A A Milne. 
Showing Rabbit, Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh, Kanga and Roo, Piglet, and Owl all walking in a line in tall grass.
Illustration by Ernest Howard Shepard from Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), by A A Milne. Source: Wikimedia Commons

The timeless and universal appeal of this silly old bear and his friends is unparalleled. He’s featured in 3 books, various film adaptations, and much much more.

The first book was published on the 14th October 1926 and was an instant hit – selling 35,000 copies in the U.K. and over 150,000 copies in the U.S.

In fact, so popular is the book that it was translated in over 50 languages, including Catalan, Thai, Esperanto, and Latin.

Final coin to be most in demand Winnie the Pooh 50p yet

Given the popularity of the previous coins in the Winnie the Pooh 50p series, the last and FINAL coin is set to be in HIGH DEMAND.

Whilst details of the final coin remain top secret, you can get ahead of the crowd by signing up to the Change Checker 50p Subscription Service.

As soon as the brand new coin is issued, we will contact you to advise your order has been secured and your 50p will be with you soon. So, you just sit back and wait for your exciting new coin to arrive, without any of the hassle of ordering it yourself.

Better still, as you’ll be one of the first to have this coin guaranteed for your collection, you won’t have to worry about sitting in queues on launch days.

Sign-up for free today by clicking here and avoid missing out on one of the most popular coins of the year!

Browse the Winnie the Pooh 50p Collection

Winnie the Pooh 50p series. Showing 9 50p coins in a 3 by 3 grid.
Top row, from left to right: Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin, and Piglet.
Middle row, from left to right: Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Owl, and Tigger
Bottom row, from left to right: Eeyore, Kanga and Roo, and final coin showing a question mark.
The Winnie the Pooh 50p Collection

To browse the entire Winnie the Pooh 50p range so far, click here >>