The British decimal fifty pence (50p) coin – often informally pronounced fifty pee – is a unit of currency equalling one half of a pound sterling.It is a seven-sided coin formed as an equilateral-curve heptagon, or Reuleaux polygon, a curve of constant width, meaning that the diameter is constant across any bisection. The Royal Mint held an open competition to design the reverse of each of the 29 50p coins, representing the 29 sports of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Over 30,000 entries were received from members of the public.
Issued as one of the 29 Olympic 50p designs to commemorate the games in London 2012. Each 50p features a different Olympic sport. Designed by nine-year-old Florence Jackson, the Athletics 50p coin was the first ever Royal Mint coin to be designed by a child. There are 29 Olympic 50p designs. They were produced in 2011 to mark the London 2012 Olympics. As 29 new 50 pence coins entered circulation in a single year, the mintage figures for each coin were quite low in comparison to most other non-Olympic 50p's. Comparative Rarity Score: 100. Olympic 50p Coins. Showing 1–15 of 24 results. Filters of 2→ Olympic 50p Coins Weightlifting Olympic 50p. Olympic 50p Coins Weightlifting Olympic 50p.
Olympic 50p Value
The Royal Mint issued a total of 29 Olympic 50p coins to celebrate London holding the Olympic Games in 2012. The first was issued in 2009, with the remaining coins issued in 2011 as anticipation for the London games continued. Each coin was designed by a member of the public as part of a nationwide competition.
2011 Olympic 50p
- The coins were issued in their millions so are generally not very rare
- However, due to their popularity many have been taken out of circulation by collectors
- The rarest Olympic 50p coin is the 'Football' coin, which cleverly explains the offside rule
- A full set of the Olympic 50p coins usually selles for around £50 to £60
- Most single coins sell for around £5 or less, the 'Football' 50p coin fetches around £8
The other scarcer 50p coins are Triathlon, Wrestling, Judo, and Cycling.
The full list of the Olympic 50p coins, with their mintage and approximate value, is as follows:
- Aquatics: 2,179,000, approximate value: £2.50
- There is a very rare version of this coin which has sold for just over £800 in the past!
- The Aquatics coin was redesigned to make the swimmer's face more visible, but not before around 600 coins showing the original design were entered into circulation… cue the big coin hunt! On the rare version, the wavy lines representing the water are seen crossing in front of the swimmer's face, whilst the more common coin has the face at the front making it much clearer.
- According to the website thefakepoundcoindatabase.co.uk, there are seven fake versions of the Aquatics coin in circulation, so do be aware; if in doubt ask a coin dealer for a second opinion, and if you're really not sure then only spend what you are willing to lose.
- There is a very rare version of this coin which has sold for just over £800 in the past!
Archery: 3,345,500, approximate value: £1.50
Athletics: 2,224,000, approximate value: £1.75
Badminton: 2,133,500, approximate value: £1.75
Basketball: 1,748,000, approximate value: £2
Boccia: 2,166,000, approximate value: £1.75
Boxing: 2,148,500, approximate value: £2
Games like bingo showdown. Canoeing: 2,166,500, approximate value: £1.50
Cycling: 2,090,500, approximate value: £1.75
Equestrian: 2,142,500, approximate value: £1.75
Fencing: 2,115,500, approximate value: £1.75
Football: 1,125,500, approximate value: £13
This clever coin explains the offside rule very simply and has become one of the rarer Olympics 50p coins. This is in part due to the lower mintage and also because of the unusual design; any design that has an obvious talking point is more likely to be retained by the public, perhaps by those wanting to explain the offside rule to their friends once and for all!
Goalball: 1,615,500, approximate value: £2.50
Gymnastics: 1,720,813, approximate value: £2.50
Handball: 1,676,500, approximate value: £2.50
Hockey: 1,773,500, approximate value: £2.50
Judo: 1,161,500, approximate value: £8
Modern Pentathlon: 1,689,500, approximate value: £2.50
Rowing: 1,717,300, approximate value: £2.50
Sailing: 1,749,500, approximate value: £2.50
Shooting: 1,656,500, approximate value: £2.75
Table Tennis: 1,737,500, approximate value: £2.50
Taekwondo: 1,664,000, approximate value: £2.50
Tennis: 1,454,000, approximate value: £3.50
Triathlon: 1,163,500, approximate value: £10
Volleyball: 2,133,500, approximate value: £2
Weightlifting: 1,879,500, approximate value: £2.50
Wheelchair Rugby: 1,765,500, approximate value: £2
- Wrestling: 1,129,500, approximate value: £8
Read more about Britain's 50p coins:
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Olympic 50p
With 25 days to go until the Olympic Games in Rio this Summer, the Royal Mint have released a coin that's sure to excite the hundreds of thousands of people who collected the Sports 50p coins for the London 2012 Olympics.
Olympic 50p Worth
This UK 50p coin has been released to wish Team GB success in Rio this summer.
The coin's obverse design features a swimmer with the Team GB logo, the Olympic rings and the inscription ‘TEAM GB'. Designed by Tim Sharp, the coin has been officially endorsed by Team GB and celebrates the spirit of the British Olympians.
The 30th Olympic 50p
In the lead up to the 2012 Olympic Games, 29 million Olympic 50p coins were released into circulation across 29 different designs – 1 for each Olympic sport.
Remarkably the Royal Mint estimated that 75% of those coins were removed from circulation as collectors clamoured to complete the collection, with many coins like Football and Judo barely ever seen in your change today.
[read more about which Olympic 50p coins are the rarest]
The top 10 rarest Olympic 50p coins
The new Team GB coin will surely become known as the '30th Olympic 50p' and with so many established collectors, it seems certain that its release will be greeted with much excitement.
The 2016 UK Team GB 50p
If you can't wait to find this coin in your change you can add the Brilliant Uncirculated Team GB 50p to your collection now.
