Happy Birthday 50P

Date Published 16 October 2019

* The 50p is 50! First introduced in October 1969 to replace the 10-shilling note, today there are over 100 different designs in circulation. 1997 saw the introduction of the new, lighter coin.

* In October 1969, the average price of a UK property was just £3,899. Today the average price is over 58 times higher at £232,710. Comparatively, considering inflation, the 50p is worth just 35 times more.

* If you're saving your pennies, it takes just a quarter of a million 50ps to purchase in the North East, compared to over half a million in the South East and South West and nearly a million in London.

* The largest commemorative edition of the coin edition celebrated the UK's accession to the European Economic Community in 1973, with a mintage of 90 million. A further commemorative 50p coin is expected to be issued when the UK leaves the European Union.