Your guide to the Alan Turing 50p Coin

The Royal Mint has issued a 50p coin to celebrate the life and work of Alan Turing.

The new 50p was designed by Christian Davies and Matt Dent, and the reverse side of the coin features the British scientist’s name alongside a representation of the Bombe machine used during the Second World 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.

Hidden codes on the coin

Look closely and you will see that the coin features a what3words address – gears.grin.than – which pinpoints the location of his alma mater, Cambridge University.

The what3words system has divided the globe into a grid of 3m x 3m squares and given each one a unique combination of three words: a what3words address. This means that people can accurately and easily communicate their exact location.

The design also features his famous quote ‘Only a foretaste of what is to come’ whilst the text ‘CDANDMD’ refers to the coin’s designers.

Will the coin be rare?

The Alan Turing coin is the final release in the Innovation is Science 50p series, which also recognises Charles Babbage, John Logie Baird, Rosalind Franklin, Stephen Hawking and the Discovery of Insulin.

All the coins in this series have been issued as Brilliant Uncirculated coins and were not entered into general circulation. You will need to purchase the coins from The Royal Mint or from other coin dealers or collectors.

The Brilliant Uncirculated coin has an ‘unlimited’ mintage, so it is not likely examples of the coin will go up in value any time soon. The coin retails at £10 from The Royal Mint, and so this is the value and the coin is not rare.

The 50p also coin comes in gold Proof, silver Proof, and silver Proof Piedfort editions, as follows:

Gold Proof – 210 minted: £1,150.00

Silver Proof – 3,210 minted: £57.50

Silver Piedfort – 1,510 minted: £102.50.

About Alan Turing

As the father of modern computing and a code breaking genius during the Second World War, Alan Turing was a truly extraordinary individual. 

In recent years, Turing has become a figurehead for gay rights following his posthumous pardon from Her Majesty The Queen in 2013, which has since led to further pardons to gay men and created what’s become known as ‘Turing’s Law’.

For a man who passed away far too young, Alan Turing’s ingenuity and intellect both still have an enduring impact in the fields of computing, mathematics and science today. His groundbreaking theories remain revered to this very day, which suggests he was a genius way ahead of his time.

Recently honoured by the Bank of England with a portrait on a new £50 banknote, this is the first UK coin to commemorate the life and legacy of Alan Turing. 

LGBTQ+ 50p coin

The LGBTQ+ commemorative 50p celebrates the 50th anniversary of Pride UK and is the first time Britain’s LGBTQ+ community has been celebrated on official UK coinage – and the coin will be entered into circulation!

The Royal Mint have now revealed that five million copies of the Pride 50p will be entered into circulation, so you might find one in your change!

The reported mintage of five million means the coin will be common but we’re yet to know how popular the coin will prove to be – collectors could snap up the coins and take them out of circulation, meaning demand could soon outstrip supply, and the value may go up.

How Did We Get Here? – The Journey to Equality

On Saturday 20 August at 2.00pm at the LGBT Foundation the Legacy of ’67 project will be exploring the changes to people’s general attitude towards LGBTQI+ people and the changes in the law, and examining how this relates to activism.

We’ll be hearing from solicitor Josh Dawson about the changes in the law, and from a panel consisting of Paul Fairweather, Tony Openshaw and Arthur Martland about personal experiences as advocates and/or activists of equality. There will be time for you to discuss the matter and tell of your own personal experiences.

There will also be an update on the progress of the project during its first three months.

To attend please RSVP to David@DavidDolanMartin.com

Rainbow Lottery

Pride Events

Bolton Pride: 5 August – 7 August – Facebook: @boltonpride

Levenshulme Pride: 12 August – 14 August – Facebook: @levenshulmepride

Wigan Pride: 13 August – Facebook: @OfficialWiganPride

Prestwich Pride: 13 August – Facebook: #prestwichpride

Manchester Pride: 26 August – 29 August – Facebook: @ManchesterPride 

Didsbury Pride: 3 September – Facebook: @didsburypride

Chorlton Pride: 17 September – Facebook: @ChorltonPride