When will the 2017 coins be released into circulation?

Change Checkers are often asking me, “when will the 2017 coin designs be released into general circulation?” 

£2 pound, 2 pound, two pound, 50p, 50 pence, fifty pence

The UK 2017 Coin Designs

So, I have compiled a list below showing which coins are now available in your change and those that are still to be released.

The list will be updated as soon as we get confirmation from The Royal Mint that any new coins have entered circulation.

2017 circulation coin release dates

  • WWI Aviation £2: A small amount released in September (Duxford Airshow), full release TBC
  • Jane Austen £2: A small amount released in July (Winchester Cathedral), full release  TBC
  • Peter Rabbit 50p: September 2017
  • Jeremy Fisher 50p: TBC
  • Tom Kitten 50p: December 2017
  • Benjamin Bunny 50p: December 2017
  • Sir Isaac Newton 50p: June 2017

It’s worth noting that coins are only released into general circulation as and when they are required by the banks.

If you find yourself asking, “When are the 2017 coins released into circulation?”, this is the place to check!

If you find any of the 2017 coins in your change, especially those that are still to be released into circulation, we’d love to hear from you.

You can send us an email to [email protected] or visit our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram page.

Will the Sir Isaac Newton 50p coin become more scarce than the Kew Gardens?

It’s been reported in the media this week that the Sir Isaac Newton coin will become the most scarce 50p in UK circulation.

Will the Sir Isaac Newton 50p become the rarest coin in UK circulation?

A number of outlets have suggested that only 375 coins will be released giving it a mintage figure 560 times less than the Kew Gardens 50p coin.

An unspecified number of Sir Isaac Newton 50p coins were released into circulation in June

However, we can confirm that this is not the case.

For starters, back in June an unspecified number of Isaac Newton coins were released into circulation. Based on the number of reports we’ve had from Change Checkers, we would estimate that this initial release was in the thousands.

It is true that The Royal Mint are releasing a small amount of Sir Isaac newton 50p coins at Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire this week. However, the decision to release a low number coins at the birthplace of Newton is to commemorate the 375th anniversary of the scientist’s birth and is not the total amount that will enter circulation.

Further Sir Isaac Newton coins will be released, in a recent press statement The Royal Mint confirmed, “Members of the public from across the UK can expect to see the circulating edition of the coin in their change over the forthcoming months.”

However, at this stage it is impossible to say when and how many of the remaining Sir Isaac Newton 50p coins will enter circulation. The release of circulation coins is driven by demand from the banks.

It is quite possible that this coin will have a low mintage figure, maybe even less than 210,000, the number of Kew Gardens 50p coins. However, based on previous commemorative coin releases, we believe this to be unlikely.

Either way, we hope you have good luck in your search!


We’d love to know if you’ve found the Sir Isaac Newton 50p coin in your change. Let us know by answering our poll:

June 2017 Video Newsletter

With 4 new coin releases, 1 coin unexpectedly entering circulation and a genuine minting error confirmed, June was a very exciting month. Watch as Yasmin and Luke discuss all the latest change collecting news.


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