Olympic Basketball 50p

Summary of Value & Key Facts

The 2011 Basketball 50p is part of the 29-coin London 2012 Olympic series. With a circulation mintage under two million, it sits at the scarcer end of the set and usually sells for several times face value in better circulated condition.

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

The Basketball 50p is one of the more eye-catching coins in the Olympic set, combining multiple figures and a bold ball texture. Its relatively low mintage and strong design keep it near the top of many collectors’ Olympic wish-lists.

• Commemorative theme: Issued as one of 29 designs celebrating the sports of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Basketball has been an Olympic sport since 1936 and was a headline event at London 2012, where both gold medals were won by Team USA.
• Design: The reverse shows four players in different stages of play – jumping, passing and shooting – set against a fully textured background that mimics the surface of a basketball. The London 2012 logo appears above, with “50 PENCE” below. The texture makes the theme obvious even without the word “basketball” on the coin.
• Rarity in context: With 1,748,000 coins struck for circulation, Basketball is in the “scarce” bracket on most Olympic rarity tables – less common than many sports, though still easier to find than the very rare Football and Judo designs.
• Circulating vs collector versions:
  • Circulated: Found in change, typically with light to moderate wear. These are the most common route into owning the coin and form the backbone of a circulation-quality Olympic set.
  • Brilliant Uncirculated (BU): Sold in Royal Mint cards and Olympic sets. BU examples show full lustre and sharp detail on the ball texture and player outlines, and are the preferred choice for higher-grade type collections.
  • Silver Proof: A sterling-silver proof version (mintage around 30,000) was also issued, aimed at more specialist collectors and sitting in a higher price band than base-metal coins.
• Collecting tip: For circulating examples, look for strong definition in the basketball’s pebble texture, clear outlines on all four players and a sharp London 2012 logo. For BU or proof coins, intact original packaging and certificates add to long-term desirability and resale value.

Overall, the 2011 Olympic Basketball 50p is a visually bold, lower-mintage Olympic coin – not the rarest of the set, but a definite step up from the common designs and an important piece for any serious London 2012 collection.