Scarce: fewer than 2,000,000 minted. Sells often: 116 verified sales in the last 12 months.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Handball (2011)
"Olympic Handball 50p"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2011 |
| Denomination | 50 Pence |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 1,676,500 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Olympic 50p (2011) |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Composition | Copper-nickel |
| Weight | 8.000g |
| Diameter | 27.3mm |
| Thickness | 1.78mm |
| Shape | Equilateral curve heptagon (7-sided) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | Natasha Ratcliffe |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Fourth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, legend around
Handball player throwing a ball against a background of a handball court, London 2012 logo above, denomination below.
50 PENCE
Handball 50p market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateHandball 50p price history
Daily limit reachedHandball 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 | £4.97 🔒 eBay | £4.85 | – | £2.00 – £6.25 | 7 | 7 | 15-10-2026 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| BU | £5.45 🔒 eBay | £5.70 | – | £4.27 – £8.88 | 6 | 6 | 12-05-2026 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| VF | £2.24 🔒 eBay | £2.55 | – | £1.06 – £4.99 | 102 | 102 | 12-10-2026 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| G | £1.70 🔒 eBay | £1.70 (1) | – | £1.70 – £1.70 | 1 | 1 | 03-10-2026 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
About the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Handball
The 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Handball 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: Handball player throwing a ball against a background of a handball court, London 2012 logo above, denomination below.
1,676,500 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Handball worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Handball run from £1.70 to £5.70 across 4 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many Olympic Handball 50p coins were made?
1,676,500 were struck for circulation, according to the Royal Mint's mintage figures. That is the ninth lowest of the 29 London 2012 sport designs, between Taekwondo (1,664,000) and Modern Pentathlon (1,689,500).
Is the Handball 50p rare?
It is in the scarcer third of its series. In the Royal Mint's figures only eight of the 29 Olympic 50p designs have a lower mintage than its 1,676,500. It is still some way above the scarcest, the Football coin at 1,125,500.
Who designed the Handball 50p?
Natasha Ratcliffe, whose design was chosen from more than 30,000 public submissions. She told the Royal Mint Museum she entered because she loves coins and medals. The obverse portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is by Ian Rank-Broadley.
Why is there a court behind the player on the Handball 50p?
The designer added it so the sport could not be mistaken for another. Natasha Ratcliffe told the Royal Mint Museum that her drawings of leaping players looked a little like basketball, so she laid the markings of a handball court behind the figure.
How do I identify the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Handball?
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 Handball 50p is one of 29 coins issued for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, one for each sport, with designs chosen through a competition open to the general public. The handball design was among those authorised by a royal proclamation in force from 12 May 2010, and all of the coins are dated 2011.
The Royal Mint's figures give a circulating mintage of 1,676,500. That is the ninth lowest of the 29, between Taekwondo (1,664,000) and Modern Pentathlon (1,689,500). Only eight designs were struck in smaller numbers, which places Handball in the scarcer third of the series without making it one of the hard ones. The lowest figure, for Football, is 1,125,500.
The reverse is by Natasha Ratcliffe and was chosen from more than 30,000 public submissions. The proclamation describes it as "a handball player throwing a ball against the background of a handball court". The player is shown in mid-jump with the ball in hand, the London 2012 logo above and 50 PENCE below.
The court was a late addition, and it is there to prevent a mix-up. Ratcliffe told the Royal Mint Museum that she worked from photographs to find "the best, most dynamic poses", then "realised it looked a little like basketball so in goes the pitch". She found the overlay also gave the design depth, and thought the background "almost makes it look like there's a crowd around the pitch as well."
Ratcliffe had never played handball. Watching it, with players always off the ground and their arms high, reminded her of "sponge ball games when you are a kid". She entered, she said, "because I love coins and medals".
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.
On a used coin, look at the court markings behind the player. They sit behind the figure, and the design depends on both layers being legible.
The May 2010 proclamations also provided for the handball design in gold and in silver. Those coins share the design but are separate from the 1,676,500 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 neighbours by mintage are the Taekwondo 50p and the Modern Pentathlon 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 Handball 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Handball: Natasha Ratcliffe, 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)
More from Olympic 50p (2011)
