In 2011 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the World Wildlife Fund WWF, the Royal Mint is proud to mark this special occasion with issuing a specially designed Limited Issue commemorative WWF Piedfort 50p Fifty Pence Silver Proof Coin struck in solid .925 Sterling Silver Certified Slabbed and Graded by PCGS as PR69 DCAM featuring 50 carefully selected icons representing the vital work they do.
The reverse has been designed by Matthew Dent while obverse is 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 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.