please empty your brain below
I have two special 50p coins that even though I'm not a collector I have no intention of spending. One is a Mr. Jeremy Fisher and the other is an Olympic Goalball. As an aside, I also happen to have a 2p that dates back to 1971 i.e. decimalisation.

X-Plaistow | 11.11.19 - 1:15 a.m. | #

Although 62% of 50ps released and not returned to the mint may be of the Britannia design, 8% B.Potter, etc., it doesn't mean that this is the likelihood of getting them in change (as alluded to by the last sentence of the post).

Anecdotally, the proportion of coins I get when I use cash (not that often these days) is around 59% Britannia, 39% Shield and 2% commemorative.

A surprising number of people don't know how, or can't be bothered to count or add on the fly, so when paying with cash they like to use notes only and chuck all their coins into a jar at home. This means that shopkeepers and supermarkets need to order new coins from banks to give out in change, which to me indicates that shield coins are more common that would be expected from the figures.

Also it's not just Olympic coins that get pulled out of circulation, all the commemoratives seem to be popular, even amongst my friends who are religiously anti-cash - whenever I find any they pay me £1 (by bank transfer obviously).

A large number of coins are in the homes of overseas visitors and overseas charity collection boxes. Every few months I travel to Germany and buy £1000 of British coins from various dealers for €800 (or less, depending on the exchange rate). I also bring about €1000 euros of coins which I bought for £700. And regarding euros, with all the different countries and commemoratives, collecting can be very expensive.

John | 11.11.19 - 8:48 a.m. | #

Gosh! John, thats a heavyweight haul.

mikeH | 11.11.19 - 9:03 a.m. | #

Ah.The commercialisation of money. Seriously though, has anyone considered that our chronic economic problems are a result of everyone sequestering those Beatrix Potter coins?

daveid76 | 11.11.19 - 9:05 a.m. | #

I do find the special 50p coins rather collectable! The 50p coin is ideal, large enough to make a decent platform but not so valuable that I want to spend it instead...

I hadn't realised that the Beatrix Potter coins were so common, I wonder how they decide which variants they will produce more of, and which ones they will artificially create a shortage?

Mikey C | 11.11.19 - 11:28 a.m. | #

In 2015 it was estimated that about £3bn of coin and paper currency were being 'hoarded' and kept out of circulation, presumably in jars, under mattresses or in coin collections. If spent, this might boost the economy a bit, or fund the NHS for about 10 days.

ActonMan | 11.11.19 - 11:41 a.m. | #

I cant remember the last time I ended up with a 50p coin in my change!

I have just tipped out my 3L Vodka bottle, only 10% full. 3 x 50p in it, 2 x Britannia and 1 x Shield

Andrew Jarman | 11.11.19 - 12:43 p.m. | #

One wonders whether the increasing numbers of 'special' designs is simply part of the general devaluation of the currency; make it more whimsical, lightweight and mutable so folk take it less seriously.

Eddie Willers | 11.11.19 - 2:11 p.m. | #

One of the reasons why 50p coins are less common may be the self service check outs, which generally don't give them out, along with 10p coins. 90p of change gives you 4 20p and 2 5p.

I worked in a restaurant where we'd often go to a local Sainsbury's to buy small things that we were running out of, usually taking a note out of the till. The float was always full of 20p and 5p coins, so when we needed to give change (rarely as most customers used cards) that's what we'd give out.

Lumma | Homepage | 11.11.19 - 4:05 p.m. | #

I have a hearing difficulty and do not always hear correctly what the person at the till is saying or even understand them.
I pay with a note which solves my problem.

James | Homepage | 11.11.19 - 4:29 p.m. | #

When 50p first came out, inserting 10p into the 50p slot of a fruit machine with an expertly executed spin on it would pay out 5 x 10p change and pay for a pint.

kev | 11.11.19 - 8:27 p.m. | #

Hey, if anyone who's just landed here on this post via an Android app (or Android search, or Android something) could tell me what it is, I'd love to know where you're all coming from. Thanks.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 11.11.19 - 9:40 p.m. | #

Amazon's Fire tablet running a version of Android so their Silk browser

Mike D | 12.11.19 - 2:45 p.m. | #

Using Bromite browser in android.

Tom | 12.11.19 - 2:55 p.m. | #

Thanks, but there's a very specific "Android thing" that's been directing people specifically to this post, and I still don't know what it is.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 12.11.19 - 2:58 p.m. | #

Just read this post. Sorry for being so tardy. I have 11 50p pieces in my purse - 6 Britannia and 5 shields. No fancy ones at all. I put them aside to pay for my swim in the Lido. Can't ever recall seeing a single Beatrix Potter 50p.

Christine Jackson | 18.11.19 - 3:15 p.m. | #











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