{ Simplistic but effective }
With a nice, simple and direct design, the ‘Insulin’ fifty pence succeeds in doing what it set out to do. It has been one hundred years since the discovery of insulin and this coin is all about celebrating that. I mean, when it comes to scientific breakthroughs this one really was a biggie. Not only has it saved tens of thousands of lives, it has also improved day to day life for countless people around the world.
Apparently, this is the fifth release in Mint’s ‘Innovation in Science’ series. However, finding any information about this particular sequence of coins is not exactly easy and a complete packaging overhaul after the first few coins has given the whole business a vague and disjointed feel. A shame as this could all have been done so much more effectively.
Whilst ‘Insulin’ is not destined to not go down as one of the greatest UK coin designs to date, Iris De La Torre has created something eye-catching and unusual to convey the meaning of this issue. Less really can be more and minimalism is still a very effective tool for an artist.
Specifications :
50p Brilliant Uncirculated Coin –
Alloy – Cupro-Nickel
Diameter – 27.30mm
Weight – 8.00g
Mintage – Unlimited*
Obverse Designer – Jody Clark
Reverse Designer – Iris De La Torre
50p Silver Proof Coin –
Alloy – 925 Ag
Diameter – 27.30mm
Weight – 8.00g
Mintage – 3,710*
Obverse Designer – Jody Clark
Reverse Designer – Iris De La Torre
50p Silver Proof Piedfort Coin –
Alloy – 925 Ag
Diameter – 27.30mm
Weight – 16.00g
Mintage – 1,510*
Obverse Designer – Jody Clark
Reverse Designer – Iris De La Torre
50p Gold Proof Coin –
Alloy – 916.7 Au
Diameter – 27.30mm
Weight – 15.50g
Mintage – 260*
Obverse Designer – Jody Clark
Reverse Designer – Iris De La Torre
*All mintages quoted are MCM (Maximum Coin Mintage). This means this is the most coins that may be issued. Ultimately, it is down to The Royal Mint to decide how many are minted so the reality is that each number given may turn out to be lower.
© Article and images (except where stated) copyright Mik Smith 2022
