Fifty Pence 2017 Sir Isaac Newton, Coin from United Kingdom - detailed information

The obverse of the coin depicts the crowned old head of Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Royal Diamond Diadem crown worn for her Coronation (effigy known as the "Fifth Portrait").

Running continuously around the effigy is the monarch's legend and the date: ELIZABETH II · DEI · GRA · REG · FID · DEF· 2017 ·. Translated from Latin: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith.

In small letters below the head, the artist's initials J.C (for Jody Clark).

The reverse features a diagram of the Solar system. This award-winning design was voted the 2017 Coin Design of the Year. It is based upon elements of Proposition 11 in Book One of Newton's Principia Mathematica. The sun lies at the common focal point of three ellipses representing the orbits of different planets.

Around above: SIR ISAAC NEWTON; around below, the value and denomination FIFTY PENCE. The designer's initials AW (for Aaron West) are in the lower right.

When Sir Isaac Newton came to The Royal Mint, Britain's finances were approaching crisis. Up to one in ten circulating coins were believed to be forged. His vision of matchless quality led him to root out and prosecute notorious counterfeiters, improve assaying techniques (the way coin quality is checked) and refine weights and measures to standards never seen before.

In 1699 Newton became Master of the Mint. After overseeing the new coinage for the accession of Queen Anne in 1702 he went on to supervise the process of bringing Scottish coinage into line with English coinage, following the Union of England and Scotland in 1707. Thanks to Newton’s vision Royal Mint coins remain unrivaled in their accuracy and purity to this day.