In 2009 to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the first UK 50p Fifty Pence Coin, the Royal Mint released a very special Limited Issue European Presidency Piedfort 50p Fifty Pence Gold Proof Coin struck in solid 22 Carat Gold Certified Slabbed and Graded by PCGS as PR70 DCAM with special NFC Anti-Counterfeiting Technology.
The Piedfort 50p Fifty Pence Coin weighs 31.10 grams and is double the thickness of its normal counterpart and has a strict mintage of only 40 worldwide and is the smallest issue ever of any United Kingdom coin.

The reverse designed by sculptor Mary Milner Dickens features a conference table seen from above, around which are arranged twelve chairs for the Council of Ministers while the obverse depicts the stunning portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank Broadley.
These legal tender coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks.

Piedforts are coins which have been especially 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 practice of striking Piedforts is later and less frequent, but medieval and Tudor examples are known.

• Limited Mintage of 40 Worldwide
• Piedfort Version Twice the Weight of Standard 50p Gold Proof Coin
• Struck to Royal Mint's Proof Quality in Solid 22 Carat Gold
• Celebrating 40 Years of the 50p Coin - European Presidency
  
• Certified Slabbed and Graded by PCGS as PR70 DCAM