09 June 2022
|
The Royal Mint has launched a commemorative 50p celebrating the 50th anniversary of Pride UK and has revealed that five million copies of the coin will be entered into circulation later in 2022, 'making the landmark design accessible to all.'
The coin marks the first time Britain’s LGBTQ+ community has been celebrated on official UK coinage, developed in collaboration with Pride in London.
The 50p design features Pride in London’s values of Protest, Visibility, Unity, and Equality in rainbows on the reverse (tails) of the coin. With state-of-the-art colour printing technology, the iconic colours of the Pride progression flag are recreated with special-edition colour versions of the silver and brilliant uncirculated coins.
Following an LGBTQ+ art exhibition hosted by Pride UK, The Royal Mint invited participating artists to submit entries in a competition to create a reverse design for a coin celebrating the 50th anniversary of Pride UK.
Read more about the Pride 50p in our coin guide…
The winning submission selected by The Royal Mint Advisory Committee was the work of Dominique Holmes, an east London artist, writer, and LGBTQ+ activist with a varied artistic background that includes tattoo artistry.
Speaking about their design, Dominique Holmes said:
“Working to the scale of a 50 pence piece was interesting for me as I’m used to working on a larger scale. The main challenge was ensuring that the important messages of protest and visibility could be clearly understood on the coin. I had to keep a 50p next to me at all times as I worked to keep my sketches in check!
“Seeing the design and the message of Protest and Pride on the coin itself was quite moving. Growing up in the 80s and 90s in the UK, I never saw this sort of positive LGBTQ+ representation, and I feel very proud to have worked on something that celebrates and commemorates such an historic moment for the LGBTQ+ community and the Pride movement so publicly.
“This is a significant milestone in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and equality. Pride means so much to me and to so many people across the UK and beyond, and it’s important that we take time to celebrate the progress made over the last 50 years, whilst continuing the important work for our community."
The 50p will be available to purchase via The Royal Mint website and includes gold, silver, and brilliant uncirculated versions.
Read more about 50p coins
Your guide to the Decimal Day 50p coin
The Royal Mint's Decimal Day 50p coin celebrates a British milestone – the 50th anniversary of Decimal Day – with a design that conveys the transition from pre-decimal to decimal coins. Find out more about the Decimal Day 50p in our coin guide. Continue Reading
Your guide to Winnie the Pooh 50p coins
Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, and Christopher Robin are the latest children's book characters to feature on 50p coins. Find out more about the Winnie the Pooh 50p coins, whether they are rare, and how much they could be worth with our in-depth coin guide. Continue Reading
How much are the Beatrix Potter 50p coins worth?
How many Beatrix Potter 50p coins are there? How much are the Peter Rabbit coins worth? Are they really worth £100s? We give you the lowdown on the coins, revealing the most valuable examples. Continue Reading
