Brexit 50p Coin
The Brexit 50p coin is a commemorative50p coin that was struck to mark the planned exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union ('Brexit') on 31 October 2019. The minting of the Brexit coin was ordered by Sajid Javid.[1] A total of 10 million Brexit coins, each stamped with the date 31 October 2019, were planned to be minted.[2][3] In late October 2019, with increasing doubts that Brexit would actually happen on that date, the minting of the coins was 'paused'.[4]
In late October 2019 it was announced that the coins would be recycled as the UK would not leave the EU on 31 October 2019.[5][6] A Treasury spokesman said that a coin to mark Brexit will still be produced but that it would enter circulation after the UK has left the EU.[5][6]
The coin is inscribed with a quote from Thomas Jefferson, 'Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations'.[7] The lack of an Oxford Comma was criticised by some, including author Philip Pullman.[8]
Relaunch[edit]
In December 2019 a new Brexit 50p coin was announced after the Conservative Party victory in the general election.[9] Gold and silver versions of the coins were announced for collectors.[9] In January 2020 Downing Street announced that the coins would start entering circulation on 31 January 2020.[10]
References[edit]
- ^Inman, Phillip (25 October 2019). 'Production of Brexit 50p coin paused amid exit uncertainty'. The Guardian. ISSN0261-3077. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^Association, Press (11 August 2019). 'Sajid Javid's plan to flood tills with Brexit 50p coins'. The Guardian. ISSN0261-3077. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^Hope, Christopher (7 October 2019). 'More than 10 million Brexit 50p coins to be minted - three times more than previously thought'. The Telegraph. ISSN0307-1235. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^'Brexit coins 'paused' amid uncertainty'. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^ ab'Brexit 50p coins to be 'recycled' after PM accepts extension'. BBC News. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ abInman, Phillip (29 October 2019). 'Brexit meltdown: 50p coins with 31 October date to be recycled'. The Guardian. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/brexit-50p-coins-quote-american-founding-father-wf0cs8ldj
- ^https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/27/brexit-50p-coin-boycott-philip-pullman-oxford-comma
- ^ abWaterson, Jim (20 December 2019). 'All change: UK tries again with new 50p to mark Brexit date'. The Guardian. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^Helm, Toby (26 January 2020). 'Brexit: Heseltine says celebrations rub remainers' noses in it'. The Guardian. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
External links[edit]
Jan 26, 2020 THE new Brexit coin has sparked fury after being released without the proper punctuation. Marking the UK’s exit from the European Union, the historic 50p piece was ordered by Chancellor of the. The official UK Brexit 50p has just been released. Marking Britain's historic exit from the EU, this new Brexit 50p is available to own in a number of specifications. That special Brexit 50p coin will be worth about 36p, so a perfect tribute then — Mike Hind (@MikeHPR) October 29, 2018 According to The Sun, the commemorative coin, which the Queen has had to personally sign off, will bear the phrase ‘Friendship With All Nations’, in a bid to send out a positive signal to the world.
Brilliant Uncirculated Coin Withdrawal from the European Union 2020 UK 50p Brilliant Uncirculated Coin Price: £10.00.
The first images of the Brexit 50p have been unveiled by Chancellor Sajid Javid, with the coin set to enter circulation on Friday, 31 January.
The coins will flood banks and stores nationwide to mark Brexit day.
Here, Which? explores whether it’s worth hanging on to a Brexit 50p coin as a collector’s item if you find it in your change.
What does the Brexit coin look like?
Images unveiled over the weekend confirm what we all expected: the coin’s design is the same as the now-infamous ’31 October 2019′ design, but with 31 January 2020 replacing the former date.
While other commemorative coins tend to depict what they are celebrating (the Paddington 50p has a picture of Paddington on it, for example), the message ‘Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations’ is not explicitly Brexit-related.
Author Philip Pullman criticised the coin’s punctuation, noting the lack of an Oxford comma after the word ‘prosperity’. An Oxford comma can be used after the penultimate item in a list of three or more items, but using one isn’t essential. Which? is not officially weighing into the debate, but our house style is not to use one in most cases.
How rare is the Brexit 50p?
Once it enters circulation, the new Brexit coin will not be rare.
Three million are scheduled to circulate on 31 January, with seven million more to follow over the rest of the year.
With 10 million in circulation, the Brexit 50p will have a higher mintage than any 2018 design. It’s possible that the last commemorative coins to have circulation figures like these were the Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny designs from 2017.
This would make the Brexit coin one of only three commemorative 50ps to receive 10 million mintage since 2015. The Royal Mint hasn’t released 2019 mintage figures yet, so we can’t be certain this is the case.
How much is the Brexit 50p coin worth?
While some coins do eventually have resale value above their face value, the Brexit 50p is technically only worth 50p. That’s 59 cents in euros.
There’s no guarantee that any collectible coin will ever be worth more than the number on its face, as multiple experts warned on the coins episode of the Which? Money Podcast:
How likely am I to find one?
Whether you’re avoiding them or seeking them, there’s no way of knowing exactly how likely you are to find a Brexit 50p in your change. Banks, post offices and shops will receive them on 31 January, so you might be more likely to find one around this time, while they’re ‘fresh’, and before people take them home.
If waiting to find one by chance doesn’t appeal to you, uncirculated versions of these coins will be available to buy from the Royal Mint website. Some 13,000 people have registered their interest online so far, but at the time of publishing it wasn’t clear when the coins would go on sale.
Brexit 50p Coin Mintage
What are the rarest 50p coins?
The table below shows the 50ps with the lowest numbers in circulation. It’s important to remember, though, that mintage is not the only factor that affects a coin’s rarity or value as a collector’s item.
Brexit 50p timeline
Much like Brexit itself, the Brexit 50p has had a bumpy ride, facing multiple delays since it was first announced.
October 2018: Philip Hammond, then-Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced plans for a Brexit coin to be issued on the day the UK left the EU.
At the time, this was pencilled in as 29 March 2019. The coin was expected to say ‘Friendship with all nations’, and 10,000 were planned to be circulated.
March 2019: After Parliament voted to reject the government’s Brexit deal, the UK did not leave the EU and no coins were produced.
August 2019: Reports emerged that Sajid Javid, who had taken over as Chancellor, was planning to get millions of Brexit 50ps into circulation in time for the new exit date of 31 October – a huge increase on the thousands Philip Hammond had planned.
Images of this coin’s design were released to the press. It looked the same as the final design, but with the 31 October 2019 date engraved. Including this date was seen as bold, since leaving the EU on that day seemed far from certain.
New Brexit 50p Coin
October 2019: When the UK did not leave the EU on 31 October, the Royal Mint melted down millions of Brexit 50ps that had already been produced.
Royal Mint Brexit 50p Coin
January 2020: Over a year after the idea was floated, the Brexit 50p will enter circulation.
Brexit 50p Coin Joke
- Find out more: more coins stories from Which?