Royal Mint releases special 50p coin to celebrate Queen's Platinum Jubilee

A 50p coin celebrating Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee will be released into circulation across the UK from Monday 7 February, the Royal Mint has confirmed.

The special coin will feature a commemorative Platinum Jubilee design on the ‘tails’ and will be circulated following the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty’s accession to the throne in 1952.

The Royal Mint has collaborated with Post Offices around the UK to ensure that members of the public will get the chance to receive the coin in their change.

The company has already started to strike the coins at their site in Llantrisant making up to 850 coins a minute.

It's the first time that a Royal event has been celebrated on a 50p and the unique design by artists Osborne Ross has been personally approved by The Queen.

The coin features the number 70 with the Royal Cypher and the dates of Her Majesty’s reign framed inside the zero.

On the opposite side is the fifth definitive portrait of The Queen, by Jody Clark, which appears on all circulating UK coins.

The Royal Mint’s Director of UK Currency Mark Loveridge said: “Coins tell the story of our nation and we are delighted to be working with the Post Office to mark this special Royal occasion.

"By issuing the Platinum Jubilee coin into circulation it ensures that this significant moment in history can be cherished for generations to come.

“This special 50 pence features an elegant and bold number 70 in celebration of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee year, and we expect it to become one of the nation’s most collectable coins. We are delighted that 1.3 million coins baring this unique design will be accessible at Post Offices across the UK.”

The Platinum Jubilee 50p coins are expected to be highly sought after due to the limited release of 1.3 million coins for UK Post Offices.

Nick Read, Chief Executive at the Post Office, said: “We are thrilled to be part of the celebrations for Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee year and that our 11,500 Post Offices across the whole of the United Kingdom will exclusively start the circulation of this special 50p coin from Monday 7th February.

"Postmasters are at the heart of their local communities and have been throughout our 360-year history. I have no doubt that this will be a real honour and privilege for Postmasters and their teams.”