United Kingdom - 50 pence 2000British Public Libraries - Gold

« Very Rare Collectable Public Libraries 1850-2000 50p”. 14. 2g. Struck in 9166 fineness, 22 carat gold. Contains 0. 46 troy ounces of gold. Limited mintage of 710This particular design was released in millennium year to celebrate 150 years of the Public Libraries Act. Describing the design, Royal Mint wrote: “The turning pages of a book, the anniversary dates "1850" and "2000", and the value "50 PENCE", all above a classical library building on which appear the words "PUBLIC LIBRARIES" and, within the pediment, representations of compact discs. When the Public Libraries Act received the Royal Ascent in 1850, Charles Dickens hoped 'that the books thus made available will prove a source of pleasure and improvement in the cottages, the garrets and the cellars of the poorest people'. “Without doubt, laying the foundations for today's network of public libraries, the Act brought knowledge and literature within the reach of every member of society. “The start of the new millennium marked the 150th anniversary of the Act, and a chance to celebrate everything the modern library service offers. “The reverse designer, Mary Milner Dickens, drew inspiration for the design from Arnold Bennett's comment that libraries act as 'an agency for the radiation of light’. ”A stunning coin. 50p coins do tend to stir up interest, and another design was recently listed on e. Bay for £500. The coin listing is titled: “Rare Suffragettes 50pence coin collection”. The listing description below reads simply: “one from my rare 50pence collection”. But what is so distinctive about this particular 50p coin? The Royal Mint website provides some further details. The coin’s official title is the 2003 Women’s Social and Political Union 50p, according to the site.