Olympic Tennis 50p

Summary of Value & Key Facts

The 2011 Tennis 50p is part of the 29-coin London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic series. With a circulation mintage of just 1,454,000, it counts as a scarce modern 50p and regularly appears in top-ten lists of rare circulation designs, especially popular with both coin collectors and tennis fans.

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

The Tennis 50p is one of the headline modern rarities: low-ish mintage, a clean and instantly recognisable design, and a nice connection to Britain’s tennis success at London 2012.

• Commemorative theme: Issued as part of the official London 2012 Olympic 50p collection, this coin represents tennis, which has been an Olympic sport (on and off) since the very first modern Games in 1896. Andy Murray’s gold in the men’s singles at London 2012 gave the design a real-world story to anchor to.
• Design: Tracey Baines’ reverse shows a textured tennis ball just making it over a finely detailed net, with the London 2012 logo above and “50 PENCE” below. The tight close-up keeps the design bold and readable at coin size, while still feeling very clearly like a centre-court moment.
• Rarity in context: With only 1,454,000 in circulation, Tennis is one of the scarcer Olympic designs – rarer than mid-table sports like Rowing or Basketball and regularly named in “top 10 rarest 50p coins” lists, though still behind ultra-low-mintage pieces such as Football, Wrestling, Judo and Triathlon.
• Circulating vs collector versions:
  • Circulated: Found in change, often with light to moderate wear. Many have already been pulled by collectors, which is why they don’t show up often in circulation now.
  • Brilliant Uncirculated (BU): Sold in Royal Mint Tennis sports cards and coin covers. BU examples show full lustre and crisp detail on the ball’s texture and net mesh and are the preferred choice for higher-grade Olympic sets.
  • Silver / specimen issues: Tennis also appears in silver/specimen formats in Royal Mint Olympic collections, usually catalogued with guide prices around £5 per specimen in generic British value tables.
• Value behaviour: Recent guide prices and dealer listings cluster around:
  • Circulated: ~£2–£2.50 as a central guide, with stronger results for particularly sharp coins,
  • BU / UNC: ~£4.50–£5 as a baseline, up to about £6.50 in some current retail listings.
  As with all Olympic 50ps, condition, presentation and short-term demand swings can nudge realised prices up or down.
• Collecting tip: For circulation finds, look for clear texturing on the tennis ball, distinct net lines and a clean London 2012 logo with minimal heavy scratches in the open fields. For BU or proof pieces, intact original Royal Mint packaging and any certificates significantly boost long-term appeal and make resale smoother.

Overall, the 2011 Olympic Tennis 50p is a proper “set-builder’s prize” – scarce, good-looking and tied directly to one of Team GB’s most memorable London 2012 gold medals.