Description
This year marks the 50th anniversary of decimal changeover – a momentous change to our coinage. At the time that change was made, many people put aside our vanishing predecimal coins – but precious few people thought to also put aside the VERY FIRST decimals! This set brings together all six of our decimals, each one of them the very first year of issue and all of them graded by PCGS, and with them the newly issued 2021 50p coin with a decimal changeover design, in double thickness sterling silver and also graded by PCGS as ‘perfect’.
All six decimals, first year of issue
Although decimal changeover was in 1971, some of our decimals had been released before this and circulated alongside the predecimals to enable people to become accustomed to them. This set includes all six coins for their FIRST year of issue
1/2p – 1971 (withdrawn from circulation in 1984)
1p – 1971 (still with us today but a different design of course)
2p – 1971 (ditto)
5p – 1968 (same size as the shilling, it circulated in predecimal days with that face value)
10p – 1968 (same size as the florin, it circulated in predecimal days with that value)
50p – 1969 (had no equivalent in predecimal days but was worth half a pound, so it circulated as ten shilling coin!)
Independently graded by PCGS
Those first decimals are now 50 years old (and older!) so getting them in tip-top condition can be tricky – if they weren’t put aside at the time with care then by today they will have lost their ‘mint’ condition. We’ve been through quite literally hundreds of uncirculated coins of these first decimals and hand selected the best – and sent them to PCGS where they were INDEPENDENTLY assessed. They have all been awarded the designation MINT STATE and either 65 or 66 points out of the maximum 70.
The coins, once graded by PCGS, are sealed in their holders which are sealed air-tight and PRESERVES the quality of the coin for the future. Imagine, in just 10 years time, coins of this quality will be even harder to find, making these graded coins in PCGS holders even more sought after.
The new British 2021 Fifty Pence coin in silver – and double thickness!
To mark this important anniversary of decimalisation a special commemorative design fifty pence was struck which features a design composed of segments of he outgoing predecimal coins. It was minted in Brilliant Uncirculated condition, and also in solid sterling silver struck to Proof standards. A ‘luxury’ edition of this silver version was also minted in double thickness – only 2,500 minted – and it is one of these that is included in this set!
Awarded PR70 – perfection – by PCGS
The 2021 silver proof fifty pence double thickness coin in the set was also graded by PCGS who gave it the grade of 70 points out of 70! This is an incredible grade. You may think that all Proofs achieve 70 but this is not true: points are deducted for any minor detriments and in fact of the coins we sent to PCGS that we had inspected individually, some were awarded 68, others 69, and only the finest received 70. One is in this set!
Needless to say this is the highest grade possible.
Summary
These are fifty year old coins, all in MINT STATE, along with a brand new commemorative coin that is in ‘perfect’ proof condition and is itself a luxury edition of its kind. This is the perfect way to celebrate Britain’s first decimals.
