Gold Proof 2000 Fifty Pence Piece - Public Libraries Boxed

The 2000 Fifty Pence gold coin was released by the Royal Mint at the turn of the millennium to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Public Libraries in the United Kingdom. This proof 50p gold coin comes boxed with a certificate of authentication. Only 2000 of these coins were issued by the Royal Mint.

The coin bears the fourth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, as designed by Ian Rank-Broadley, while the reverse design was crafted by sculptor Mary Milner Dickens. Libraries and access to books was only available through benefactors prior to the 1850 Public Libraries Act, but the bill changed the UK education system and how much of the population had access to both learning materials and literature.