06 January 2023
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The National Health Service is set to be celebrated on a special 50p coin in 2023, issued by The Royal Mint. Find out more about the coin in our guide.
The Royal. Mint's 2023 Annual Set has revealed that a special 50p coin will be issued to mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS.
Each year The Royal Mint reveals a collection of coins, known as the Annual Set, which feature a range of designs that appear on £5, £2 and 50p coins marking some of the year’s most significant moments and anniversaries.
This Annual Set is now available from The Royal Mint, but individual examples of the NHS coin are not yet available and it is not known at this stage whether the coin will be put into circulation or just be made available as a collectable 'Brilliant Uncirculated' version.
Established in 1948 with the aim of providing care, based on need, and free at the point of use, the National Health Service has been a vital component of British society since its creation.
The design of the NHS 50p
The Royal Mint explained: "Celebrating 75 years of care, compassion and devotion, this commemorative UK 50p coin features a reverse design which incorporates words that reflect our universal appreciation of the NHS."
The coin design features a collage of words, with National, Health, and Service in bold. In the background we can see other words relating to the NHS, such as…
- Dedication
- Price
- Respect
- Compassion
- Duty
- Knowledge
- Empathy
- Support
- Dignity
Previous British coins for the NHS
This is not the first time the NHS has been honoured on an official legal tender British coin.
An 'NHS' 10p coin was put into general circulation in 2018 and 201, one of 26 10p coin designs issued in the 'A to Z of Great Britain' series. The coin is particularly rare, with 220,000 copies issued in 2018, and a further 84,000 issued the following year.
A 50p was also issued for the NHS in 1998 to mark the organisation's fiftieth anniversary. This 50p coin had a circulation of 5,001,000.
