*** UPDATE 12/08/2019 ***

The Chancellor Sajid Javid has asked officials if it will be possible to produce Brexit 50p coins in time for Britain’s departure from the EU in October 2019.

1. The new 50p Brexit coin was unveiled yesterday, just days before Britain departs from the EU. The announcement image, featuring a grinning Chancellor Sajid Javid, has been both praised and mocked.
2. Previously, Chancellor Philip Hammond planned for just 10,000 commemorative Brexit coins to be struck for the event, however Javid intends millions of Brexit 50ps to be produced for circulation. As mentioned in the blog below, the coin will have the words, “Peace, Prosperity and Friendship with all nations” and feature the date of Brexit.

Previously, Chancellor Philip Hammond planned for just 10,000 commemorative Brexit coins to be struck for the event, however Javid intends millions of Brexit 50ps to be produced for circulation.

The Brexit 50p coin is a commemorative 50p 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. A total of 10 million Brexit coins, each stamped with the date 31 October 2019, were planned to be minted. Brexit has delivered, and to commemorate this major event in our history, the Royal Mint has issued a special version of the 50p coin. Inscribed on the back of this coin are the immortal words ‘Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations 31 January, 2020’ and the English novelist, Sir Philip Pullman, is up in arms, calling for a.

As mentioned in the blog below, the coin will have the words, “Peace, Prosperity and Friendship with all nations” and feature the date of Brexit – now 31st October 2019.

But with only a few months to go, will the coins be signed off by the Queen’s privy council and struck by The Royal Mint in time for Brexit?

It’s official! A Brexit 50p WILL be issued by The Royal Mint to mark the UK’s exit from the EU!

Within his budget, the Chancellor unveiled his advanced plans for the 50p coin, which will be released in Spring 2019.

As such a controversial issue, which has created much disruption across the UK and the EU since the referendum in June 2016, Philip Hammond hopes that this new coin, which is expected to bear the phrase ‘Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations’, will promote the positivity of the event.

In our previous blog, we asked Change Checkers if they would like to see a Brexit coin and 68% of you believed that such a significant moment in Britain’s history should be commemorated with a 50p coin. The Government has now finally conceded to create a gesture for this landmark moment and recognise its importance, although Treasury sources say the department has secretly been working on plans for the coin for months now.

The importance of Brexit can now be likened to Britain’s entry to the European Economic Community, which was then incorporated into the EU in 1993. A 50p coin was issued in 1973 to mark the occasion, featuring nine hands clasping each other in a circle, symbolising the nine member states of the community, intended to represent the trust, assistance and friendship which comes with EEC membership. So important was this event, that in 1998 the first “new sized” commemorative 50p was issued to commemorate 25 years of the UK in the EEC.

89,775,000 of the 1973 50p coins were struck for collectors but is no longer in circulation, whilst the 1998 coin has a mintage figure of 5,043,000 and can still be found in circulation.

1973 and 1998 EEC 50p coins

It seems that the idea of commemorating Brexit in some way is popular amongst collectors, as commemorative 50p shaped Brexit souvenirs are now available on eBay and are currently selling for £6.99. These are not legal tender, but go to show that a Brexit 50p coin is certainly in demand and could be incredibly sought-after.

An order has now been issued by Mr Hammond to The Royal Mint advisory committee to draw up a designs for the Brexit 50p coin, which should be signed off later this year. Just as the EEC 50p from 1973 intended to promote the development of new relationships, so too will the Brexit 50p, but what do you think about the plans for the new coin?

We posted a poll on our Facebook page to find out what Change Checkers think and 66% of you think we should have a Brexit coin, compared to just 34% voted against the coin and the majority opinion seems to be that we had a coin for entering the EU, so we should also have one for leaving.

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Discover more about the Brexit 50p

The arrival of the Brexit 50p, officially known as the 'Withdrawal from the European Union 2020' 50p coin, didn't go smoothly – just like the political maze of the Brexit process itself.

• 10,000 coins expected: The 50p Brexit coin was unveiled by former Chancellor or the Exchequer Philip Hammond with the intention that the coin would have a mintage of around 10,000 and be issued in March 2019.
  
• Millions of coins: In August 2019, with Brexit still being debated, Chancellor Sajid Javid said he wanted to add millions of 'Brexit' 50p coins into circulation, changing the initial plans for the commemorative coin to remain 'uncirculated'.
  
• Brexit delays: With delays to the Brexit process, the planned design, with the date of the UK's departure from the EU detailed as 31 March 2019, was updated to read 31 October 2019.
  
• Protests against the coin: Not everyone approved of the idea of the 50p coin. Liberal Democrat councillor Eleanor Rylance protested against the coin and encouraged the general public to return the coin to the bank and ask for an alternative if and when it was issued.

Millions of coins melted down

• Millions melted down: just days before the UK was supposed to leave the EU in October 2019, it was confirmed that approximately 3 million coins would be recycled since the date of 31 October would be incorrect.
  
• Eventual release of the Brexit 50p: The Brexit 50p was officially released on 31 January 2020, on the day the UK left the EU and started a one-year transition process. It was revealed that 7,000,000 copies of the coin would be entered into circulation over the course of the year, and this number soon went up to 10 million.
  
• Disapproval from some quarters: it was no surprise that the eventual release of the coin was not met with approval from all sides. Author Philip Pullman said on twitter: 'The 'Brexit' 50p coin is missing an Oxford comma, and should be boycotted by all literate people.'

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So how rare are the Brexit 50p coins?

With a reported 10 million in circulation and The Royal Mint's official mintage being 'unlimited', the coin is hardly rare. So you may wonder why you don't see many of the coins in your loose change.

According to reports, the coins are being taken out of circulation by collectors and by those who do not approve of the coin, although The Royal Mint confirmed it is normal for people to keep unusual coins when they are initially issued.

Examples of the Brexit 50p have been sold on auction sites such as ebay for around £2 - £3, but we recommend you keep an eye on your change to find an example for face value.

Whilst some newspapers reported that versions of the coin with the incorrect date may surface, no find have been reported.

A Brilliant Uncirculated version of the coin, costing £10 from The Royal Mint, proved very popular when the coin was first issues, with demand crashing the RM website. This version of the coin is still available.

The design and details of the Brexit 50p

The commemorative coins are engraved with the words “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations” along with the 31 January 2020 date. The versions of the coin released were as follows:

Buy Brexit Coin

• Circulation coin
• Brilliant uncirculated (available for £10)
• Silver Proof Brexit 50p (mintage of 47,000, retailed for £62.50 and now sold out)
• Gold Proof Brexit 50p (mintage of 1,500, retailed for £1,100 and now sold out)
• A two-coin set was also made available, including the Brexit 50p and the 1973 50p coin which marked the United Kingdom’s accession into the European Economic Community. This set was limited to 5,000 copies, retailed at £30 and has now sold out.

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