It’s been five years since we wrote our original 50 cent value article and 2 years since we wrote the 2012 update. We thought it was time to take a look at the latest catalogue values of our Aussie 50c coins and see how the values have changed since we first looked at them.
We’ve taken the values of these coins from the 2014 edition of the Pocket Guide to Australian Coins and Banknotes written by Greg McDonald. The values are for pristine uncirculated examples of the coins. They are also what you can expect to pay for the coins from a coin dealer rather than what you can expect to sell them for. Expect half catalogue value (at most) if you’re trying to sell these coins to a coin dealer (they have to make a profit) and don’t be surprised if you just get offered face value (or fifty cents). If you’ve got some collectable 50 cent coins you want to sell then you might actually be better off doing it yourself via an online auction site like eBay.
- 1970 Captain Cook Bicentenary, mintage: 16,548,100, $7.00
- 1977 Silver Jubilee, mintage: 25,067,000, $4.00
- 1981 Royal Wedding, mintage: 20,000,000, $6.00
- 1982 Commonwealth Games, mintage: 23,287,000, $4.00
- 1988 First Fleet Bicentenary, mintage: 8,990,800, $10.00
- 1991 Decimal Anniversary, mintage: 4,704,400, $10.00
- 1994 Year of the Family (narrow date), mintage: 20,830,800, $18.00
- 1994 Year of the Family (wide date), mintage: 20,830,800, $12.00
- 1995 Weary Dunlop, mintage: 15,869,200, $7.00
- 1998 Bass and Flinders, mintage: 22,426,000, $7.00
- 2000 Year 2000 Millennium, mintage: 16,630,000, $7.00
When we compare those values to the original article we wrote in 2009 and the last one we wrote in 2012 there’s only two values (yes, two) that have changed. The 1988 First Fleet 50c has dropped in value by $5. And the 1994 Narrow Date Year of the Family 50 cent has increased in value by $6. So we’ve got a total increase in value in 5 years of $1 for that entire list of 50 cent coins. A thrilling return on investment that is not!
In the last update of this article we expanded it to include some more recent coins than the original article covered. Here’s those coins again along with their current CV’s. Note, again, that these values are for uncirculated coins only rather than the ones you might find in your change. I’ve also adjusted some of the mintages of the Centenary of Federation coins based on our own research into mintage figures. You should take a look at our Federation coins page for more information on each coin.
- 2001 Centenary of Federation, mintage: 43,149,600, $4.00
- 2001 Centenary of Federation NSW, mintage: 3,042,000, $6.00
- 2001 Centenary of Federation ACT, mintage: 2,000,000, $6.00
- 2001 Centenary of Federation QLD, mintage: 2,320,000, $6.00
- 2001 Centenary of Federation VIC, mintage: 2,000,000, $6.00
- 2001 Centenary of Federation Norfolk Island, mintage: 2,000,000, $6.00
- 2001 Centenary of Federation NT, mintage: 2,000,000, $6.00
- 2001 Centenary of Federation WA, mintage: 2,000,000, $6.00
- 2001 Centenary of Federation SA, mintage: 2,400,000, $6.00
- 2001 Centenary of Federation TAS, mintage: 2,106,006, $6.00
- 2002 Year of the Outback, mintage: 11,507,000, $6.00
- 2003 Australia’s Volunteers, mintage: 13,927,000, $4.00
- 2004 Student Design, mintage: 10,200,000, $3.00
- 2005 60th Anniversary of WW2, mintage: 20,719,000, $3.00
There’s a been a bit of movement in the coins in this list since we looked at them in 2012. The 2001 Centenary of Federation (Australia) coin has dropped in value by $1, and the ACT, Norfolk Island, and South Australian Federation coins have all increased in value by $2. Slightly better returns there and given that the Centenary of Federation 50 cent coins can be found in change still you could do worse than noodle through bags of coins from your bank to try to put together full sets. They’ll certainly be worth more than face value.
At the suggestion of one reader we’ve decided to include a couple of standard design coat of arms 50 cent coins in this article. These are the 1985 and 1993 coins, both released into circulation with a mintage of a million or a bit less, which is a low mintage for any circulation decimal coin.
- 1985 Coat of Arms 50 cent, mintage: 1,000,000, $13.00
- 1993 Coat of Arms 50 cent, mintage: 982,800, $22.00
In 2009 the 1985 50 cent was valued at $13 and 2012 the same. Similarly the 1993 coat of arms 50 cent has been valued at $22.00 since 2009. So not a lot of investment return there either. However, given that the values are quite high there might be some potential for resale if you happen to find one of these coins in better condition (say EF or better) from circulation.
There’s one last 50 cent coin that we look at each time we write these articles. The 1966 round 50 cent, which is 80% silver and contains about 1/3 of an ounce of the precious metal. In our last update in 2012 silver was at AU$27.50 an ounce and each round 50 was worth approximately $9.20 in silver. Right now silver is at AU$22.20 an ounce and each 50 cent round is worth AU$7.40. So, if you bought up big on round 50c back in mid 2012 you’re down about 20% on your investment. But if it cheers you up any back in 2011 when silver prices peaked at about AU$45 per ounce each round 50 was worth $15 and you would have lost more than 50% of your investment if you still held them today. Ouch.
