Girl Guide 50p

Introducing theGirl Guide 50p Coin

Girlguiding started in 1910 when a group of girls tried to join in a Boy Scout rally, demanding ‘something for the girls.’ From then on, Girlguiding has spread throughout the UK and worldwide empowering girls and young women to be their best. The Girl Guide 50p features the trefoil logo, with each leaf representing a part of their three-fold promise to be active in her community, help others, and develop her beliefs while respecting others’ beliefs. 

Girlguiding 50p 2010

The 100 Years of Girlguiding 50p features the organisation’s trefoil logo in the center as well as repeated six times around the center logo. The words “Celebrating One Hundred Years of Girlguiding UK” are written along the edge of the coin. This reverse side is designed by two designers, Jonathan Evens and Donna Hainan. Their small initials are found among the rotating six trefoil logos. The obverse design is of the portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS. 

The Royal Mint lauded the duo’s design, saying “Designers Jonathan Evans and Donna Hainan of design agency Navy Blue created a reverse design worthy of such an important centenary celebration. Their simple yet elegant design features six ‘trefoil’ patterns, each representing a stage of the organisation from the Rainbow Promise Badge to the Trefoil Guild Promise Badge, surrounding the central Girlguiding UK logo. The Trefoil has been used from the very foundation of both the Guiding and Scouting movements: the three leaves signify the three-fold Promise. The combined Trefoils symbolise the journey every Girl Guide undertakes and also portray the strength and diversity of the organisation, while their arrangement and interlinked form give a sense of protection, trust and unity.”

(Caption: Girlguiding Logo)

How Much Is the Girlguiding 50p Worth?

The mintage of the Girlguiding 50p is about 7.4 million, making it a common coin. To find one on eBay, the highest price paid was £500 as of the end of March 2019. It was for, presumably, a circulation coin in excellent condition. 

Other Girlguiding Coins 

There are three other versions of the Girlguiding 50p coin, other than the base metal version. For the serious coin collectors, you can also get the Gold Proof (mintage 1000), Silver Proof (mintage 20,000), and Silver Proof Piedfort versions (mintage 1,500) of the coin. 

In 2019, in honour of the 50^th anniversary of the 50p, the Royal Mint also re-released the Girlguiding coin in Silver Proof standard as part of a special set of five 50p coins. The series also includes the highly-sought after Kew Gardens 50p and the Be Prepared 50p. The 2019 Silver Proof Girlguiding 50p’s obverse portrait is now of the fifth crowned portrait of the Queen, designed by Jody Clark.