Scarce: fewer than 2,000,000 minted. Sells often: 80 verified sales in the last 12 months.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Canoeing (2011)
"Olympic Canoeing 50p"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2011 |
| Denomination | 50 Pence |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 2,166,500 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Olympic 50p (2011) |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Composition | Copper-nickel |
| Weight | 8.000g |
| Diameter | 27.3mm |
| Thickness | 2.00mm |
| Shape | Equilateral curve heptagon (7-sided) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | Timothy Lees |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Fourth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, legend around
A figure in a canoe on a slalom course, London 2012 logo above, denomination below.
50 PENCE
Canoeing 50p market value
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AffiliateCanoeing 50p price history
Daily limit reachedCanoeing 50p value by grade
Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC | £4.11 🔒 eBay | £3.71 (2) | – | £3.30 – £4.11 | 2 | 2 | 22-09-2026 | |
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| BU | £5.01 🔒 eBay | £5.01 | – | £4.27 – £5.95 | 5 | 5 | 29-09-2026 | |
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| VF | £1.85 🔒 eBay | £1.85 | ▼21.8% | £0.63 – £3.72 | 73 | 73 | 13-10-2026 | |
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About the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Canoeing
The 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Canoeing is a circulating 50 pence coin in the Olympic 50p (2011) series, struck in copper-nickel. It weighs 8g and measures 27.3mm across. Reverse design: A figure in a canoe on a slalom course, London 2012 logo above, denomination below.
2,166,500 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Canoeing worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Canoeing run from £1.85 to £5.01 across 3 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many Olympic Canoeing 50p coins were made?
2,166,500 were struck for circulation, according to the Royal Mint's mintage figures. That is the fourth highest figure of the 29 London 2012 sport designs, behind Archery (3,345,500), Athletics (2,224,000) and Aquatics (2,179,000).
Is the Canoeing 50p rare?
No, not within its series. In the Royal Mint's figures 25 of the 29 Olympic 50p designs have a lower mintage than the Canoeing coin, and its 2,166,500 is nearly double the 1,125,500 of the Football coin, the scarcest of the set.
Who designed the Canoeing 50p?
Timothy Lees, described by the Royal Mint as a stone carver and member of the Royal Society of Sculptors. His design was chosen in the public competition for the series. The obverse portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is by Ian Rank-Broadley.
What does the Canoeing 50p show?
A figure in a canoe on a slalom course, with the gates and moving water of the course around the boat. The London 2012 logo is above the design and the denomination 50 PENCE is below. The edge is plain.
How do I identify the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Canoeing?
Check the weight 8g and diameter 27.3mm and the metal (copper-nickel) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The Canoeing 50p is one of 29 coins issued for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, one for each sport. The designs were chosen through a competition open to the general public, and all of the coins are dated 2011. The canoeing design was among those authorised by a royal proclamation that came into force on 12 May 2010.
The Royal Mint's figures give a circulating mintage of 2,166,500. That is the fourth highest of the 29, behind Archery (3,345,500), Athletics (2,224,000) and Aquatics (2,179,000), and only 500 more than Boccia (2,166,000). It is one of the easier coins in the set to find: 25 of the designs were struck in smaller numbers.
The reverse is by Timothy Lees, whom the Royal Mint describes as a stone carver and member of the Royal Society of Sculptors. The proclamation describes it as "a figure in a canoe on a slalom course", and the Royal Mint notes that the gates and flowing water of the course are shown around the paddler. The London 2012 logo is above and 50 PENCE below.
Lees told the Royal Mint Museum that he entered several designs after a colleague pointed out the competition, and that canoeing was among his strongest. He had done "a little bit of Sunday afternoon canoeing" but nothing competitive. He began with "dynamic lines which cross and work together" and tried to build overlapping layers "so that it gave the appearance of depth despite it being a very shallow relief". After watching canoes on earlier Olympic courses, he said, "I wanted to try and capture that energy within the coin."
The obverse carries the fourth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, in which she wears the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara. The edge is plain.
Collecting notes
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin. Marks, discolouration and flattened detail on a circulated example are wear, not errors.
Lees built the design from fine crossing lines in shallow relief. On a used coin, check that the slalom gates and the lines of the water are still distinct from the figure in the canoe.
The May 2010 proclamations also provided for the canoeing design in gold and in silver. Those coins share the design but are separate from the 2,166,500 struck for circulation.
The coin was struck for general circulation and the 50p remains a current coin, so it can still turn up in change. Its near twin by mintage is the Boccia 50p, and the scarcest of the series is the Football 50p.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- 2011 Elizabeth II London Olympic Canoeing 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Canoeing: Timothy Lees, The Royal Mint Museum (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and designs for fifty pence coins commemorating the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, London Gazette issue 59419, 14 May 2010, The Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- UK coin mintage figures (data file), The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 50p Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Olympic 50 pence pieces, The Royal Mint Museum (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and designs for a fifty pence silver coin commemorating the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, London Gazette issue 59419, 14 May 2010, The Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
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