Prior to the London 2012 Olympics, the Royal Mint held a coin design competition to produce a series of twenty-nine 50-pence pieces, each with a specific Olympic sports theme.
These coins have proven very popular with UK coin collectors and sports enthusiasts alike. In the decade since the original release is has been estimated that over 70% of the total number of coins put into circulation now reside in private coin collections.
Which is the rarest Olympic 50p coin?
The rarest Olympic 50p Coin in general circulation is the Football 50p with only 1.1 million coins minted. The coin design shows the Offside Rule.
What are the London 2012 Olympics coins?
The London Olympics range of 50p coins has proved very popular with commemorative British Coin Collectors.
The Royal Mint estimates that up to 75% of the coins have been removed from general circulation by eagle-eyed coin hunters.
The rare Olympic 50p Coins in UK general circulation are topped by the Offside Rule Football 50p with only 1.1 million coins minted.
Most sought after are the Brilliant Uncirculated coins direct from The Royal Mint, still in their original sealed swing bags.
Referred to by The Royal Mint as the 2012 Sports Collection of 50p coins the more popular ones are Triathlon, Football (Offside Rule), Wrestling, Judo, and Cycling.
If you are interested in coin collecting, try to buy Rare 50p Olympic Coins still in their sealed swing bag (this is how they were sold in UK shops). It is a colourful card with coin details and sealed in a plastic bag.
The top of the bag becomes detached easily so take care when handling it!
The complete set of Olympic 2012 50p coins, comprising 29 coins which also include a Completer Medallion, may fetch in excess of £100 in BU condition.
The Completer Medallion could not be purchased (you had to earn it by collecting all the coins) so these are rare and have been sold on eBay for upwards of £35 just for the medallion.
Most popular London 2012 Olympics 50p Coins?
The complete sets are very popular and have risen in value greatly, especially in presentation cases.
Olympic 50p Swimming coin Lines Across the Face
One of the most sought-after coins on eBay is the Aquatics 50p.
We assume this is due to misunderstanding and hype over the Olympic Aquatics 50p Withdrawn Rare Edition error coin version which is worth up to a thousand pounds.
This coin was originally issued depicting a swimmer with lines across the face. After a short mint run (600 coins), the coin was redesigned to remove the lines, making the original coin very sought after by rare coin collectors.
The regular Aquatics coin isn’t the most valuable London Olympics coin and beware, there are many fakes of this coin being listed on eBay.
Top 5 Olympic 50p Coins (most purchased)
Cycling 50p
Judo 50p
Tennis 50p
Triathlon 50p
Wrestling 50p
What are the rarest Olympic 50p coins?
The rare 50p Olympic coins include:
- Aquatics 50p (see above)
- Football 50p (aka Offside Rule 50p)
- Judo 50p
- Wrestling 50p
- Triathlon 50p
How many Olympic 50p coins were issued?
Check our chart for the Olympic coin list with mintage figures:
Olympic 50p List
| Coin Name | # Circulation |
|---|---|
| Aquatics 50p | 2,179,000 |
| Archery 50p | 3,345,500 |
| Athletics 50p | 2,224,000 |
| Badminton 50p | 2,133,500 |
| Basketball 50p | 1,748,000 |
| Boccia 50p | 2,166,000 |
| Boxing 50p | 2,148,500 |
| Canoeing 50p | 2,166,500 |
| Cycling 50p | 2,090,500 |
| Equestrian 50p | 2,142,500 |
| Fencing 50p | 2,115,500 |
| Offside Rule 50p | 1,125,500 |
| Goalball 50p | 1,615,500 |
| Gymnastics 50p | 1,720,813 |
| Handball 50p | 1,676,500 |
| Hockey 50p | 1,773,500 |
| Judo 50p | 1,161,500 |
| Pentathlon 50p | 1,689,500 |
| Rowing 50p | 1,717,300 |
| Sailing 50p | 1,749,500 |
| Shooting 50p | 1,656,500 |
| Table Tennis 50p | 1,737,500 |
| Taekwondo 50p | 1,664,000 |
| Tennis 50p | 1,454,000 |
| Triathlon 50p | 1,163,500 |
| Volleyball 50p | 2,133,500 |
| Weightlifting 50p | 1,879,500 |
| Wheelchair Rugby 50p | 1,765,500 |
| Wrestling 50p | 1,129,500 |
- Copyright UK Coins and may NOT be Published without our prior approval. We spend hours doing this so please don’t steal it!
50p coins are worth their face value of 50p however a coin collector may pay more to add the coin to their collection.
Use this data as a base guide and do your own full research before buying and selling coins.
Coin values vary greatly depending on how rare the coin is and its condition.
You can assume the coin prices we have researched are for coins in general circulation but otherwise reasonable condition.
Brilliant Uncirculated (BU), Proof, Piedfort, Silver, and Gold coins will obviously sell for much more.
The Royal Mint is the official licensee for the manufacture of coins for the London 2012 Olympic Coins and Paralympic Games coins.
What are the Olympic 50p coins?
The Olympic 50p coins are a series of British coins that were issued by the Royal Mint to commemorate the Olympic Games. There have been several sets of Olympic 50p coins issued by the Royal Mint, including coins for the London Olympic Games in 2012, the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, and the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.
The Olympic 50p coins typically feature designs related to the host city or the Olympic Games themselves, such as images of Olympic sports, mascots, or landmarks. Some of the coins are considered rare and valuable, while others are more common. The rarity and value of an Olympic 50p coin can be influenced by factors such as its edition size, condition, demand, and the current market for collectible coins.
If you are interested in collecting Olympic 50p coins, it is worth doing some research to find out which coins are available and how rare and valuable they are. You may also want to consider joining a coin collecting club or forum, where you can connect with other collectors and learn more about the different Olympic 50p coins that have been issued.
