• Five million 50ps marking the 50^th anniversary of Pride UK will enter circulation via 2,000 UK Post Offices
• The Pride 50p is set to become the last design which will enter general circulation in the UK featuring the portrait of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse (heads) side of the coin
• The commemorative design was created by LGBTQ+ activist Dominique Holmes for the 2022 anniversary, featuring the iconic rainbow and Pride in London values of Unity, Visibility, Equality and Protest on the reverse
• New Longton Post Office, near Preston, run by gay postmasters Daniel Cooper and Nathan Jones, is among the first of the 2,000 branches to distribute the coins

The Royal Mint has confirmed that a 50p coin celebrating the 50^th anniversary of Pride UK will be released into circulation via Post Offices across the UK from Tuesday 25 October, 2022.

The Pride 50p will become the last design to enter general circulation featuring the portrait of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse (heads side) of the coin. The first coins bearing the portrait of His Majesty King Charles III will enter circulation later this year.

In total, five million coins celebrating the 50^th anniversary of Pride UK will enter circulation, and were made by The Royal Mint prior to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. To ensure the transition to the coinage of King Charles III is conducted with minimal waste and environmental impact, The Royal Mint has continued to issue coins struck with the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

Designed by LGBTQ+ artist and activist Dominique Holmes, the 50 Years of Pride UK 50p design was unveiled to mark the milestone anniversary earlier this year and features a rainbow design with Pride in London’s values of Protest, Visibility, Unity, and Equality on the ‘tails’ side of the coin.

The first LGBTQ+ celebration coin will be accessible to people across the UK via 2,000 branches. Among the first to get their hands on the coins are postmasters Daniel Cooper and Nathan Jones from New Longton Post Office, near Preston. The couple are delighted to help issue the coins from the New Longton branch, after hundreds in the community rallied against criticism for flying the rainbow flag at the Post Office during LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

Postmaster, at New Longton Post Office, Daniel Cooper said: “50 Years of Pride UK and the combined support of the LGBTQ+ community and allies shows how far we have come as a nation, but there is always more we can do to break down barriers. The Royal Mint’s 50p coin is a tangible display of Pride’s values and it is a privilege to be among the first postmasters to release this coin into circulation ensuring such an important piece of British history lives on in the pockets, purses, and cash tills of our communities. It is a special pleasure, for Nathan and I, to be issuing these in our own town where we know first-hand what the celebration of Pride UK means for the community.”          

The Royal Mint’s Managing Director, Currency, Andrew Mills said: “Coins tell the story of our nation, and we are thrilled to be working with the Post Office to ensure five million special 50ps celebrating the 50^th anniversary of UK Pride reach the hands of the people across the UK in the coming weeks. Made for the 2022 anniversary, the coins feature the effigy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth and are expected to be in high demand. 

“This is the first time the LGBTQ+ community has been celebrated on UK coin and reflects The Royal Mint’s commitment to celebrating a diverse and inclusive Britain. We hope the Pride values minted on the coins honour the communities they represent, as well as proving popular with LGBTQ+ allies and coin collectors up and down the country for generations.”    

As part of The Royal Mint’s commitment to reflecting a diverse and modern Britain across its products – A ‘Diversity Built Britain’ 50p coin entered circulation in 2020 and The Royal Mint recently celebrated a Diwali-inspired series of gold bars at the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir in Oldham.

The spirit of celebration around the circulating Pride coin is shared at The Royal Mint’s headquarters in South Wales, where the employee-led LGBTQ+ society ‘Enfys’ and allies champion diversity and inclusion as a way of life. During Pride month, Enfys marched in the 50th Anniversary Pride in London parade and initiated the installation of a permanent rainbow zebra crossing. 

Speaking of the release, Asad Shaykh, Director of Marketing and Communications at Pride in London said, “It humbles me greatly that the words that I coined for the brand, PROTEST, VISIBILITY, UNITY & EQUALITY – feature on an actual coin, opposite the Queen, and that five million of these coins will circulate for years to come.”

Further information about the 50 Years of Pride UK collection is available at The Royal Mint, which includes Brilliant Uncirculated coins from £11, and a special colour-printed edition for £20.

The collectable coins on the website are struck to a higher quality finish than circulating coin and delivered scratch-free in bespoke packaging to preserve their beauty. Made at the home of precious metals, the coins are also available in the highest “Proof” quality Silver and Gold, minted with the finest craftsmanship and innovation.  

ENDS

About The Royal Mint

With a history spanning more than 1,100 years, The Royal Mint is Britain’s oldest companies and the original maker of UK coins.  Today The Royal Mint is a premium British maker, providing carefully crafted coins and precious metal products for the UK and overseas.  Based in Llantrisant, South Wales it has three main focuses as a business: Currency, Consumer (collectable and rare, historic coins) and precious metals investment.

Collecting with The Royal Mint:

Every coin tells a story, from a rare gold Sovereign to a Peter Rabbit™ 50p coin. The Royal Mint aims to inspire collectors young and old, and nurture a love of collecting through unique designs and popular themes. As the maker of UK coinage, we have unparalleled knowledge about coins, from the historic coins of our past, through to the collectable commemorative coins of today.  Sourcing and authenticating pre decimal coins is a natural fit for The Royal Mint as we struck each one.

Investing with The Royal Mint:

As a world authority on precious metals, The Royal Mint has traded and made products in gold and silver for centuries. Since launching its designated precious metals investment arm six years ago, The Royal Mint has grown rapidly to become the home of gold in the UK – increasing its market share and becoming the largest producer of bullion coins in Britain. As well as offering physical precious metal investment options in the form of bars and coins, The Royal Mint also offers a range of digital investment options including DigiGold, Little Treasures, designed for children, and Gold for Pensions

Celebrating with The Royal Mint:

For over a thousand years The Royal Mint has marked the moments that changed the world on coins - from coronations to conflict, from commemorations to celebrations. The designs are captured on commemorative coins, minted in a range of metals.  Commemorative coins do not always enter circulation but give collectors the chance to purchase coins to keep and cherish.  Recent themes have included David Bowie, Winnie the Pooh, Decimalisation and Team GB. Each commemorative coin is carefully struck up to three times in order to create a superbly detailed finish, and ensuring each one meets the standards The Royal Mint is famous for. 

The Royal Mint Experience

The Royal Mint opened its popular visitor centre, The Royal Mint Experience, at its home in Llantrisant, South Wales in 2016. Since opening the award-winning attraction has welcomed around 400,000 visitors through its doors and is the place to explore the 1,100-year history of coins.

Images

The Royal Mint retains copyright ownership © of all images. These may only be used for editorial purposes and cannot be sold or used for other marketing purposes without the permission of The Royal Mint.

About Pride in London

Pride in London is a volunteer-led organisation responsible for delivering the capital’s flagship LGBT+ Pride parade and events since 2013. Pride in London’s mission is to promote visibility, unity, and equality in society for all LGBT+ people and allies. We do this by producing LGBT+ Pride events that inspire, celebrate, educate, and commemorate our diverse community. This year marks 50 years since the UK’s first pride protest march took place in London in 1972. From these historic origins, the annual event now welcomes over 1.5 million LGBT+ people and allies onto the streets of London. For more information, follow @prideinlondon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, or visit www.prideinlondon.org.