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Olympic Archery 50p

Cupro-nickel Circulating 2011 50p London 2012 Olympic Games  Share This Coin:
Olympic Archery 50p - Reverse - 2011 UK 50p Coin
Price Guide
£1.00
Rarity Score 60

Coin Specifications

Denomination
50p
Year
2011
Metal
Cupro-nickel
Finish
Circulating
Mintage
3,345,500
Weight
8 g
Diameter
27.3 mm
Obverse
Ian Rank-Broadley
Reverse
Piotr Powaga

How much is the Olympic Archery 50p worth?

As a circulating coin, the Olympic Archery 50p is worth its face value of 50p. However, collectors may pay more for high-grade examples or if the coin is scarce. Check our rarity score to see how sought-after this coin is.

Olympic Archery 50p Images

High-quality images of the 2011 Olympic Archery 50p showing obverse and design details. Click any image to view full size.

Olympic Archery 50p Obverse - 2011 UK 50p Coin Head Side
Obverse (Heads)
Designed by Ian Rank-Broadley
The obverse (heads side) of the 2011 50p coin featuring the portrait designed by Ian Rank-Broadley .

Tip: Click any image to view it in full size. All images show the actual 2011 Olympic Archery 50p as issued by The Royal Mint, helping you identify genuine coins and understand their design features.

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Coin Description

The Archery 50p coin is a circulating commemorative coin from the United Kingdom, issued in 2011 as part of the London 2012 Olympic Games sports collection. The design features the precise moment of an archer's hand pulling back a bowstring just before release. Designer, Piotr Powaga, asked his wife to model the action to capture the dynamic moment accurately!

About This Coin

🏹 2011 Olympic Archery 50p
Circulating London 2012 Olympic 50p featuring an archer drawing back the bowstring – one of the more common coins in the Olympic sports set.

Summary of Value & Key Facts

The 2011 Archery 50p is part of the 29-coin London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic series. With a circulation mintage in the mid-three-millions, it is classed as a “less common” modern 50p rather than a true rarity, but strong demand from Olympic set builders gives it a steady premium over face value.

📊 Key Figures

Core specifications and guide values for the standard circulating Archery 50p.

Aspect Figure Notes
Denomination 50 pence Standard seven-sided UK 50p coin issued for general circulation in 2011 as part of the London 2012 sports series.
Alloy, weight & diameter Cupro-nickel, 8.00 g, 27.30 mm 75% copper, 25% nickel – the usual “large” commemorative 50p specification used for the Olympic designs.
Mintage (circulating) 3,345,500 Mid-range Olympic mintage: widely available compared with modern key rarities, but not a high-mintage common.
Designers Reverse: Piotr Powaga
Obverse: Ian Rank-Broadley 		Obverse carries the fourth definitive portrait of Queen Elizabeth II with the 2011 date in the legend.
Typical value (circulated) About £1 to £2 Most circulated examples sell for around the £1–£1.50 mark, with sharper coins and nicer eye appeal pushing towards £2.
UNC / BU value (guide) About £4 Brilliant Uncirculated coins in original Royal Mint cards typically trade around £4 in the current market.
💡 Collector Notes

The Archery 50p is a classic Olympic series coin: not especially rare on its own, but almost essential if you are building a complete London 2012 50p set. Its dynamic design and solid mid-tier scarcity keep it firmly in collector demand.

  • Commemorative theme: One of 29 designs celebrating the sports of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archery has long Olympic and Paralympic heritage, making it a natural subject for the series.
  • Design: The reverse focuses tightly on an archer’s drawing hand, capturing the moment of maximum tension just before release. The London 2012 logo appears above, with “50 PENCE” below. Powaga based the pose on his wife modelling the action so he could get the posture and hand position just right.
  • Rarity in context: With 3,345,500 coins struck for circulation, Archery sits in the “less common” bracket on modern scarcity indexes – easier to find than the rarest Olympic designs, but still harder to come by than truly high-mintage 50p coins.
  • Circulating vs collector versions:
    • Circulated: Found in change, usually with some wear and contact marks. These are the coins most collectors use to fill an Olympic circulation album.
    • Brilliant Uncirculated (BU): Sold in individual Royal Mint sports cards and starter sets. BU coins show full lustre and sharp detail and are the preferred choice for higher-grade date/type sets.
    • Proof and presentation pieces: Limited proof versions exist in collector sets, sitting in a separate, higher price band.
  • Collecting tip: For the circulating coin, look for strong detail on the drawing fingers, bowstring and arrowhead, and a clear London 2012 logo. For BU examples, original unopened Royal Mint packaging is a big plus for long-term value.

Overall, the 2011 Olympic Archery 50p is a visually striking, mid-tier Olympic coin – not the rarest in the set, but a key design that every serious London 2012 50p collection needs.