Olympic Table Tennis 50p

Summary of Value & Key Facts

The 2011 Table Tennis 50p is one of the 29 coins issued to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. With a circulation mintage of 1,737,500, it sits in the less common bracket – not in the very top tier of rarities, but definitely scarcer than everyday commemorative 50p designs and always in demand from Olympic set builders.

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

The Table Tennis 50p is a classic mid-tier Olympic coin: instantly recognisable, linked to a globally popular sport, and just scarce enough that it’s a satisfying find in change.

• Commemorative theme: Issued as part of the official London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic 50p collection. Table tennis made its Olympic debut in Seoul 1988, and China has dominated the sport, winning the vast majority of gold medals since then.
• Design: The reverse shows two table tennis bats resting on a table, with the net running horizontally behind them, the London 2012 Paralympic logo above, and “50 PENCE” below. Linsdell, a retired illustrator and table-tennis fan, deliberately kept the design simple and graphic so it would read clearly at coin size.
• Rarity in context: With 1.74 million coins in circulation, Table Tennis is harder to find than common commemoratives, but easier than the real headline rarities like Football, Judo or Triathlon. Rare50pence and Change Checker both place it in the “less common” band, roughly mid-table within the Olympic series.
• Circulating vs collector versions:
  • Circulated: Found in change with normal wear; most collectors use these to fill a circulation-quality Olympic album.
  • Brilliant Uncirculated (BU): Sold in Royal Mint “Table Tennis” sports cards and multipacks. BU coins show full lustre and sharp detail on the bats, table and net, and are the preferred choice for higher-grade sets.
  • Silver BU / proof: A 30,000-mintage sterling silver BU version of the design was also issued as part of the London 2012 sports collection, sitting in a higher price tier than base-metal pieces.
• Value behaviour: Recent valuation sources and eBay sold-item samples cluster around:
  • Circulated: roughly £1.50–£2.50, with many sales in the £1.60–£2 region,
  • BU in pack: typically around £4–£5 depending on packaging and condition.
  Prices drift as Olympic themes come in and out of fashion, but scarcity and set-building demand keep the coin comfortably above face value.
• Collecting tip: For circulation finds, look for clean lines on the bats and net with minimal bag marks across the table surface. For BU or silver examples, intact original Royal Mint packaging and any certificates significantly boost long-term desirability and make authentication easier.

Overall, the 2011 Olympic Table Tennis 50p is a neat, less-common modern coin – simple, bold design, strong Olympic story, and an essential piece of any complete London 2012 50p collection.