1992-1993 Silver Proof PIEDFORT 50p - EU Presidency

To commemorate the United Kingdom's Presidency of the Council of Ministers during the second half of 1992 and the completion of the Single European Market which came into effect on 1st January 1993, the Royal Mint issued a limited quantity of Silver Proof Piedfort 50 pence coins.

This beautifully worked design, by sculptor Mary Milner Dickens, features a conference table seen from above, around which are arranged twelve chairs for the Council of Ministers.  The United Kingdrom is prominently represented at the head of the table with the table itself showing twelve stars, symbols of the European Community, placed in geographic positions of the capital cities of the twelve member countries.  A network of lines uniting the stars signifies the links of trade and commerce with the Community.

The obverse bears the elegant portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Raphael Maklouf.

Piedfort coins are struck using blanks which are thicker than normal.  As their name suggests, they have close associations with France, where, from the twelfth century, they were apparently used by the King as presentation pieces.

Encapsulated and housed in an original Royal Mint box with the Certificate of Authenticity.

This fifty pence coin weighs 27.00 grammes, measures 30.00 millimetres in diameter and is legal tender within the United Kingdrom.  Struck in sterling (.925) silver to the finest proof quality, only 150,000 of these superb coins have been issued for worldwide distribution.