Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
50 Pence - Elizabeth II European Union, Silver Proof
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1998-2009 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A symmetrical arrangement of twelve five-pointed stars disposed in a circle occupies the central field, representing the twelve member states of the European Union and referencing the EU flag motif. Below the star arrangement, the commemorative anniversary dates flank the EU abbreviation, with the denomination and the engraver's initials JWM inscribed beneath. The design commemorates the 25th anniversary of the United Kingdom's accession to the European Community and is struck to proof standard with deeply mirrored fields. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 1973 EU 1998 50 PENCE JWM |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
This piece was struck to mark the United Kingdom's presidency of the European Union Council, which Britain held in the first half of 1998 — the same six-month window in which eleven other member states locked exchange rates in preparation for euro adoption on 1 January 1999. Britain, of course, was not among them. The proof issue in silver thus occupies a quietly awkward historical position: a commemorative struck by a country that had negotiated its opt-out from the very monetary union it was presiding over.
The extended date range reflects restrikes for collector sets rather than a continuous mintage.