In 2007 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Scouting Movement, the Royal Mint released a very Limited Edition Scout Centenary Piedfort 50p Fifty Pence Silver Proof Coin struck in solid .925 Sterling Silver.
The Scout Movement effectively began in August 1907 when twenty boys met on Brownsea Island, near Poole in Dorset, to enjoy an eight-day programme centered around fun and games deliberately designed to teach key skills and instill noble values. It was the first experimental Scout camp. It was an outstanding success and laid a firm foundation for the worldwide movement that today involves girls and boys, men and women from every race, religion and culture, and practically every country in the world.
The Centenary of the Scout Movement accordingly falls in 2007. Its theme is 'One World, One Promise' a sentiment which echoes the resolution of the thousands of Scouts present at the first World Scout Jamboree in 1920. The reverse of the Piedfort 50p Fifty Pence Silver Proof Coin depicts the familiar Fleur De Lys of the Scouts with their motto Be Prepared. The obverse features the portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank Broadley FRBS, FSNAD.
These legal tender coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks.
Piedforts are coins which have been specially struck on thicker than normal blanks. As their name suggests they are closely associated with France, where from the twelfth century they were apparently issued by the Kings as presentation pieces. In Britain the practise of striking piedforts is later and less frequent, but medieval and Tudor examples are known.
Limited Mintage of 1,555 Worldwide
Piedfort Double the Thickness and Weight of its Standard Counterpart
