Royal Mint unveils new 50p coin to celebrate Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

The new design is the first to be revealed from one of the largest collections the Royal Mint has ever made

Photo issued by the Royal Mint of a a new fifty pence coin created to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee that will be launched next year (PA)

The Royal Mint has announced a new 50p coin will be launched next year to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee next year.

The newly-designed coin will feature the number 70, which represents the number of years since the Queen ascended the throne in 1952.

Her Majesty’s cypher will be framed within the zero of the number 70 at the heart of the design, said the Royal Mint.

The design has been approved by the Queen and it is the first time a royal event has been celebrated on the tails side of a 50p.

Clare MacIennan, divisional director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, said: “The Royal Mint is delighted to reveal the commemorative Platinum Jubilee 50p design ahead of its launch in the new year.

“In recognition of the landmark occasion, this is the first time a royal milestone has been commemorated on a 50p coin and is a fitting celebration for Britain’s longest reigning monarch.”

According to the Mint, the 50p is the first coin to be revealed from one of the largest collections it has ever made to celebrate the historic occasion.

The Royal Mint previously struck circulating coins for the Queen’s Silver, Gold and Diamond Jubilees, on a collection of commemorative crown pieces.

For her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, to celebrate her 60^th year of reign, the Royal Mint struck a new £5 commemorative coin, which featured two portraits of the Queen.

One was the first ever portrait created of The Queen, by artist Mary Gillick in 1953. The other, a present-day portrait, was created by artist Ian Rank-Broadley.

Coin collectors can register their interest with the Royal Mint for the Platinum Jubilee 50p, which will feature a special commemorative obverse design.

The Queen will become the first British monarch to celebrate 70 years of service next year. The Platinum Jubilee Weekend will take place in June, and Britons will be given an extended bank holiday (Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June) to celebrate the milestone.

Events organised by the royal family will take place across the four-day weekend, including the Queen’s Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour), Service of Thanksgiving, a Platinum Party at the Palace staged by the BBC, and The Big Jubilee Lunch.