In 2009 to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the first UK 50p Fifty Pence Coin, the Royal Mint released a very special Limited Issue Public Library 50p Fifty Pence Proof Coin.

Today, the public library service lies at the very heart of every community in the United Kingdom, undergoing education and enriching the quality of life.
It is perhaps the biggest cultural revolution the nation has seen, a revolution that began with the Public Libraries Act of 1850 and one that is still in full swing.

Its special reverse design, created by Mary Milner Dickens, depicts the turning pages of a book above the pediment of a classical library building, the facade decorated with CD‘s to give a modern perspective. The obverse features the portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank Broadley FRBS, FSNAD.
These legal tender coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks.