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The United Kingdom’s Royal Mint has released a new 50 pence coin ($0.70) commemorating 50 years since the iconic Concorde’s first commercial flight. This was unveiled at the Aerospace Bristol Museum, the aircraft’s current home, and features a reverse side coin of the aircraft in flight, against a split-flap departure board.
Those interested in the coin can order it via the Royal Mint’s website and are expected to be shipped out by the end of January. The cost of the commemorative coin is listed at a cost of GB £15 ($20). The Concorde made its first commercial flight back on January 21, 1976.
The Best Of British Innovation
For the Royal Mint, this is a continuation of its connection between the past and present, with the Concorde engineers also contributing to the role of a 50 pence coin that was also introduced in 1969. The coin will be uncirculated, meaning it is more of a commemorative piece than standard currency.
The reverse design was created by design agency Osborne Ross, and is cleverly positioned on a split-flap departure board on the coin, with the name of hte aircraft across the middle, with two depictions of the supersonic airplane above and below. The coin was made in partnership between 
British Airways, Airbus, and the Royal Mint. Packaging accompanies the unique coin with details of the plane’s development, commercial flight, and through to retirement in 2003.
Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coins with the Royal Mint, shared the below with the BBC:
“Concorde represents the very best of British innovation. The design perfectly captures Concorde’s grace and power, and we’re thrilled to mark this significant anniversary with a coin that honours both the aircraft and the engineers whose genius made supersonic travel a reality.”
Uncirculated Coin
The commemorative coin celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first commercial flight of the supersonic jet for British Airways, having departed from London Heathrow on January 21, 1976, under registration G-BOAA. The plane was to make a non-stop flight from the UK’s busiest airport to Bahrain.
Packaging accompanying the coin includesa history of the aircraft, including facts and details about its design. Its history, including the legacy the plane leaves, is also detailed. On the back of the coin, includes Charles III, King of the United Kingdom.
The Royal Mint has a growing collection of special uncirculated coins for those to collect, including a 2025 Monopoly 50p coin, a 2025 Red Arrows 50p coin, and a 2026 Angel £5 commemorative coin. The Concrode coin is made of Cupro-Nickel and weighs around eight grams (0.28 oz). Further characteristics below:
|
Denomination |
50p |
|---|---|
|
Alloy |
Cupro-Nickel |
|
Weight |
8g |
|
Diameter |
27.30 mm (1.07 in) |
|
Reverse Designer |
Osborne Ross |
|
Obverse Designer |
Martin Jennings |
|
Quality |
Brillian Uncirculated |
|
Year |
2026 |
A Timeline Of Concorde’s Development & Entry Into Service
The supersonic airliner entered service 49 years ago today.
Concord’s First Flight
Both 
Air France and British Airways operated the Concorde, launching their first flights on the same day. Air France operated between Paris Orly and Rio de Janeiro (via Dakar), while British Airways flew from Heathrow to Bahrain. Transatlantic flights to the United States, including Washington Dulles and 
New York JFK Airport, later followed.
AF and BA both had seven airframes each, and the use of the supersonic jet meant travel times were halved. Sonic booms were limited to over-transoceanic flights only. The main competitor to the type was the Tupolev Tu-144. Boeing attempted a competitor the B2707; however, the idea was canceled before any prototypes were ever built.
The demise of the Concorde occurred in July 2000, when AF4590 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing a total of 109 (including passengers, crew, and four on the ground). This marked the only fatal incident involving hte concorde, but it led to commercial services being suspended until the end of 2001. All remaining Concordes were later retired by 2003. Today, several Concordes are on display for aviation enthusiasts to see firsthand in Europe and North America.
