Are all 50p coins legal tender?
No, or at least no-one’s obliged to take them and they aren’t legal tender. Per the Royal Mint: “Smaller version introduced September 1997 (Larger version introduced October 1969, demonetised in 1998)”.
Is it illegal to write on coins UK?
It is illegal to deface banknotes by printing, writing or adding words, letters or figures. It is up to the police and courts whether or not to prosecute.

What symbols are on British coins?
There are many different pictures on the £1 coin to reflect the different countries of Britain: lions for England, a thistle for Scotland and a leek for Wales. The coin on the left shows the three lions of England. The slang term for pound is quid.
How many different designs of 50p coins are there?
There are 106 United Kingdom 50p coin designs dated 1997 to 2022, a total of 161 coins including different dates and obverses. View the most valuable 50p coins highest value first. 72 different fifty pence coins are in circulation and can be found in your change.
What’s the rarest 50p in the world?

What are the rarest 50p coins in circulation? The Royal Mint has revealed the most valuable 50p coin, ahead of the 1971 decimalisation’s golden anniversary. The rarest is the Kew’s Garden 50p, which was designed to mark the 250th anniversary of the gardens in 2009. Only 210,000 coins were ever minted with this design.
Is defacing a coin illegal UK?
However, under the Currency and Banknotes Act 1928, it is an offence to deface a banknote by printing, stamping or writing on it. The Coinage Act 1971 also makes it an offence to destroy a metal coin that has been current in the UK since 1969, unless a licence to do so has been granted by the Treasury.
Can you write on coins?
Ct. 1428, 1439 (1977). The short answer then, is yes, it is illegal to write on money. Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
What do the letters on a coin mean UK?
All current coins carry an abbreviated Latin inscription whose full form, ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FIDEI DEFENSATRIX, translates to “Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen and Defender of the Faith”.
What is written on the edge of a pound coin?
Its obverse bears the Latin engraving ELIZABETH II D G REG (Dei Gratia Regina) F D (Fidei defensor) meaning, ‘Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith’. It has featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II since the original coin’s introduction on 21 April 1983.