A NEW 50p coin has been launched commemorating Alan Turing, inspired by his heroic codebreaking during the Second World War.
It is the first time the mathematician’s life and work has been commemorated on an official UK coin.
1
The coin is available now in gold, silver and base metal.
As this is a commemorative coin design it will not enter circulation – so you won’t find it cropping up in your spare change.
Designed by Matt Dent and Christian Davies, it contains “hidden messages” inspired by Turing, who helped win the Second World War.
The reverse side of the coin features the British scientist’s name alongside a representation of the Bombe machine used the war.
In a special nod to his work, the designers have incorporated hidden word sequences as part of the 50p design, representing a Turing quote and significant location, as well as the designers’ initials.
The coin is available from The Royal Mint website – with a gold proof version priced at £1,150.
An uncirculated Alan Turing 50p will set you back £10, while a limited edition silver proof coin costs £57.50.
The silver proof piedfort coin – meaning it is thicker than an average coin – is £102.50.
Nicola Howell, Chief Commercial Officer at The Royal Mint said the coin will be popular with collectors because of the hidden messages included in the design.
Rare coins and valuable notes – is yours worth a mint?
He said: “Alan Turing was a scientific innovator whose work shaped Britain and it is fitting that his life and achievements will be commemorated for the first time on a collectable 50p.
“The collectable Alan Turing coin will honour the father of computing in a range of gold, silver and base metal finishes.”
The Royal Mint’s latest release is supported by Sir Dermot Turing, nephew of Alan Turing.
He said: “I am delighted with The Royal Mint’s new Alan Turing coin.
“It is impressive how much effort they have gone into in checking the historical background, and the attractive design they have come up with perfectly encapsulates his genius and achievements.”
The coin made to honour Turing’s legacy is the final release in the Innovation is Science 50p series, which recognises some of history’s greatest scientific minds including Charles Babbage, John Logie Baird, Rosalind Franklin and Stephen Hawking.
The Bank of England honoured Turing last year by including his portrait on a £50 note.
How do I find the hidden codes in the new Alan Turing 50p coin?
Alan Turing’s achievements range from formulating ground-breaking theories in the fields of computing, mathematics and biology to ingenious codebreaking during the Second World War.
In honour of his incredible skills, The Royal Mint have added hidden codes to the reverse side of the coins.
Each coin contains a hidden word sequence.
They are a Turing quote, a significant location in his life and the coin designers’ initials.
What are the most valuable 50p coins in circulation?
The rarer the coin, the more valuable it is, meaning you might be unknowingly storing a small fortune.
Mintage figures tell you how many of each design were ever made.
A low mintage figure means a coin is rare.
The most popular coin for collectors to stash away is a 50p.
This is because there were a whole hoard of different designs minted, including Beatrix Potter characters like Flopsy Bunny.
The most sought after coin is the Kew Gardens 50p, evening sparking a bidding wars amongst collectors on eBay desperate to get their hands on the coin.
Some are willing to pay hundreds of pounds to claim it for their own – with some listings hitting bids as high as £580 – a whopping 1,160 times more than the 50p’s face value.
The single market 50p, minted in 1992, is the rarest 50p ever – only 109,000 were produced.
According to the Royal Mint’s figures, it’s the second rarest coin in circulation overall, too.
