The Scouting Movement 50p entered circulation in 2007 and is often referred to as the ‘Be Prepared 50p’ due to the inscription on the design, but what is the coin worth today almost 15 years after it was introduced?
According to past sold values on eBay in 2022, the Scouting Movement 50p sells for an average of £1.33 without postage in circulated condition.
If you’re looking for more information on the Scouting Movement 50p then look no further. In this article we’ll take a look at the design and rarity of the coin, as well as the meaning behind it and where you can pick up an example if you decide to do so.
How Many Scouting Movement 50p Coins Are There?
The Scouting Movement 50p had a mintage of 7,710,750, which is not a particularly low amount for a 50p coin.
The rarest 50p in circulation currently has a mintage of 210,000, for example, whilst the rarest 50p ever entered into circulation was the 1992 Single Market Presidency 50p with a mintage of just 109,000.
The only other 50p minted in 2007 was the Britannia design which was produced each year between 1997 and 2008 and had a mintage of 11,200,000 for this particular year.
The Scouting Movement 50p, also known as the Be Prepared 50p, was also introduced in uncirculated versions by the Royal Mint for collectors and the mintages of these versions can be seen in the table below.
| Version | Mintage |
| Brilliant Uncirculated In Pack | 100,000 |
| Silver Proof | 12,500 |
| Silver Proof Piedfort | 1,555 |
| Gold Proof | 1,250 |
2019 Scouting Movement 50p
When browsing online to learn about the Scouting or Be Prepared 50p, you might become confused if you come across a 2019 edition of the coin, but worry not.
There are actually two versions of the Scouting Movement 50p:
- The 2007 version that entered circulation alongside the other finishes which were uncirculated.
- The 2019 uncirculated version that was part of the 50 Years of the 50p Culture and Military set.
The set featured 10 50p coins, including the D-Day and Battle of Britain 50p coins, that were re-issued especially for this set with the date 2019 inscribed.
The 2019 version of the Scouting 50p looks exactly the same as the 2007 version on the reverse, with the obverse featuring the updated Portrait of Her Majesty the Queen by Jody Clark as well as being dated 2019.
Scouting Movement 50p Design
The reverse design of the Scouting Movement 50p is dedicated entirely to the logo and motto of the Scouts; featuring the arrowhead Scouts logo in the centre with the motto ‘BE PREPARED’ inscribed towards the bottom.
‘FIFTY PENCE’, ‘1907’ and ‘2007’ are seen around the edge in reference to the 100th Anniversary commemoration that this coin represents. The obverse design is the portrait of Her Majesty the Queen designed by Ian Rank Broadley that was used on all coins between 1998 and 2015.
Also Known As The ‘Be Prepared 50p’
The Scouting Movement 50p is very referred to as the ‘Be Prepared 50p’ due to the inscription on the reverse design.
It’s quite obvious why this has become an adopted name for the coin and is similar in a way to how the Roger Bannister 50p is often called the Running Legs 50p.
What Is The Meaning Behind The Coin?
The scouting movement was created in 1907 following a camp which was held on Brownsea Island in England and led by Robert Bade-Powell.
Powell was a lieutenant in the British Army and had previously written a book for young men about reconnaissance and scouting in the years of 1906 and 1907.
The camp held on Brownsea Island was used to test the principles written about in his book, and this together with the publish date of his book, was considered the year of the founding of the scouting movement; 1907.
A few years later, due to the immense success of his book ‘Scouting for Boys’, 11,000 scouts attended the first Scout’s Rally which was held in Crystal Palace in London. This success is further emphasized by the 1910 scout census, which revealed more than 100,000 members who were registered.
Over the next few years, the Scouts movement went global, with over 200 countries registered to this day.
The 100th Anniversary of this year is celebrated by the inscription on the Scouting Movement 50p, and to this day the Scouts has over 50 million registered members all across the globe with the largest proportion located in Indonesia.
Difference Between The Scouting Movement 50p And The Girl Guiding 50p
At the rally in 1909, there were also some girls who showed up, calling themselves the ‘Girl Scouts’, an act that went against many of the views of society at the time.
A year later the ‘Girl Guides’ were formed, off the back of the events of the rally in the previous year. A Girl Guiding 50p was released in 2010 to commemorate the 100th year anniversary of the Girl Guides, which is obviously very closely related to the Scouting Movement 50p.
For this reason, some people can get a bit confused when it comes to both of these 50p coins when in reality they simply represent the different sections of the scouting movement when it was first established.
Where Can you Buy The Coin?
eBay is a great place to look for circulated coins if you are in a hurry to buy or even sell a coin. There are always lots of listings, and there is no difference when it comes to the Scouting 50p either.
The one criticism of eBay is that people are always looking to sell for too high a price, or charge a fortune for postage and packaging, so due diligence is always a priority on this platform.
For other finishes, it’s usually better to check out some online coin dealers to see what inventory they hold. Interestingly the Royal Mint still has a stock of the gold proof version, while other finishes such as silver proof and silver proof piedfort seem to be unavailable.
