Since August when the coin image was first released, people have wondered if this is a real coin. There have been a few forum posts suggesting the coin was a fake, there have also been reports of wording errors on early production coins.
The 2020 COVID 19 fifty pence coin is an official Gibraltar 2020 release which is likely to enter circulation in Gibraltar.
On Thursday 3rd September 2020, the Gibraltar Gazette gave legal notice in respect of "ISSUE OF THE 2020 COVID 19 COLLECTION, PART ONE, WE UNITE AS ONE, COIN NOTICE 2020"
Issue of new coins. New coins of cupro nickel, silver and gold in the denomination of fifty pence shall be made.
Design of the coins. The reverse impression depicts an image of several medical staff and other key workers wearing personal protective equipment in front of a hospital. The inscription at the top of the coin reads "To commemorate the global fight against COVID 19". The inscription at the bottom of the coin reads "WE UNITE AS ONE 2020" at the bottom of the coin.
The coins shall bear on the obverse impression the Gibraltar Coat of Arms with the inscription "ELIZABETH II D G REGINA GIBRALTAR 2020" bordering the top edge, value of the coin below.
Although most coins struck for Gibraltar National Mint and the Government of Gibraltar do currently show Raphael David Maklouf's portrait of the Queen on the obverse - it is not required for a coin to be legal tender in Gibraltar.
The 2020 Rolling Stones Collection – 50th Anniversary of the Iconic Lick Coins will also show the Gibraltar Coat of Arms on the obverse.
The issuing mint is London based Tower Mint who have confirmed they "produced this Gibraltar Government approved Coat of Arms commemorative 50p coin in June 2020".
| Denomination: | 50p |
| Issuing Authority: | Gibraltar (British UK Overseas Territory) |
| Alloy: | Cupro-Nickel |
| Weight: | 8 Grams |
| Diameter: | 27.30mm |
| Quality: | Brilliant Uncirculated |
| Mintage: | 100,000 |
Currently, this coin is only available from Tower Mint partner LPM Group as the official distributor of the collection.
LPM are based in Hong Kong and have the packaged Brilliant Uncirculated coin available for HK$328.00 (Credit Card/PayPal) plus delivery.
This price works out at about £31.50 - which seems quite high for a Gibraltar 50p BU pack when you consider the edition limit and that the retail price of a Gibraltar annual coin set is less.
Looking at this coin's availability today, here at Coin Hunter - we do not see the current option to buy as good value for money.
It is quite possible that this coin has or will be minted for circulation in Gibraltar.
In this case, we should see additional purchase options early in 2021. Coin Hunter will be further discussing purchases of both commemorative packaged and sealed bag circulation coins for the UK coin market.
If we can source these products, they will be made available via the Coin Hunter app, website and Facebook Groups/Page.
In a Numista Forum post created in August - members discuss their opinions and concerns.
A member called Euromunt seems to be very knowledgeable on the subject of Gibraltar coins and responds to the post saying:
Reply Posted: 28-Aug-2020, 09:42AM | They will also be released into general circulation in Gibraltar. I understand that they should have already been released but because of COVID-19 there appears to be delay in the legislative procedure. Furthermore it appears that some mistakes were made during the production that have to be rectified.
Reply Posted: 29-Aug-2020, 02:04PM | The approval process to get permission for the use of the Queen's portrait on a coin takes upto 6 months. If they want to issue a coin quickly, this is too long.
British Overseas Territories are only allowed to use the Queen's portrait on their coins if there is an actual connection between the theme of the coin and the specific territory. If this is not the case, they may not use the Queen's portrait.
Reply Posted: 13-Sep-2020, 11:12AM | All coins shown were genuine. There are no fakes of this type.
