| 50 cents | |
|---|---|
| |
| 1954 coin from the Royal Mint | |
| General information | |
| Country |
|
| Value |
$0.50 |
| Years |
1954–1961 |
| Measurements and composition | |
| Mass |
9.38 g |
| Diameter |
27.5 mm |
| Composition | |
| Appearance | |
| Shape |
round |
| Alignment |
medallic |
| Edge |
|
| Obverse | |
| Reverse |
State title, value, year |
| v · d · e | |
The 50 cent coin is a circulation coin of the Malaya and British Borneo dollar that was issued from 1954 to 1961, during the earlier reign of Queen Elizabeth II (1926–), the current ruler of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realm. The piece was officially issued in the independent Federation of Malaya, and in the British colonies of Brunei, North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore, where it had a value equivalent to 0.50 dollars prior to its eventual demonetization. It was produced at three mints – the Birmingham Mint, Kings Norton Mint, and Royal Mint in London – and issued by the Board of Commissioners of Currency.
The coin is composed of cupronickel and has a mass of 9.38 grams and a diameter of 27.5 millimeters. It uses medallic alignment, and like most coins, is round in shape. A majority of examples have security edges, although many errors exist that do not have such a feature. Featured in the center of the obverse, designed by English sculptor Cecil Thomas (1885–1976), is a right-facing illustration of a younger Queen Elizabeth II wearing St. Edward's Crown. Inscribed along the rim is the English caption "QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND", which commences at the upper right travelling downward, arches upward at the bottom of the obverse, and concludes at the upper left periphery. Featured in the center of the reverse is the value "50 CENTS", the numeral and the word printed on separate lines and the former written in a significantly larger font than the latter. The mint mark is written in small font underneath the word "CENTS", an "H" representing Birmingham and a "KN" signifying Kings Norton. If no mint mark is present, the example was struck at the Royal Mint. The indication of the coin's face value and the mint mark (if included) are enclosed within a circular dotted border. Inscribed beyond the border is the state title "MALAYA AND BRITISH BORNEO", which starts in an upward direction at the bottom left periphery of the coin, arches downward at the top, and ends at the lower right rim. The Gregorian year of minting is printed in Western Arabic numerals at the very bottom of the coin, separated from the state title by two square points.
A total of at least 44,400,000 examples of the 50 cent coin were produced, excluding an unknown number of proofs minted in 1954, 1956, 1957, and 1961.
| Mintages | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Mint | Mintage |
| 1954 | Royal Mint (no mark) | 8,000,000 |
| 1954 Proof | Royal Mint | |
| 1955 | Birmingham (H) | 4,000,000 |
| 1956 | Royal Mint | 3,440,000 |
| 1956 Proof | Royal Mint | |
| 1957 | Birmingham | 2,000,000 |
| 1957 Proof | Birmingham | |
| 1957 | Kings Norton (KN) | 2,000,000 |
| 1958 | Birmingham | 4,000,000 |
| 1961 | Royal Mint | 17,000,000 |
| 1961 Proof | Royal Mint | |
| 1961 | Birmingham | 4,000,000 |
| 1961 Proof | Birmingham | |
References[]
- Numismatic Guaranty Corporation – 1954-1961 Malaya & British Borneo 50 Cents KM# 4.1
- Numista – 50 Cents (English) (French)
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