Scarce: fewer than 2,000,000 minted. Sells often: 92 verified sales in the last 12 months.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Tennis (2011)
"Olympic Tennis 50p"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2011 |
| Denomination | 50 Pence |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 1,454,000 |
| 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 | Tracy Baines |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Fourth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, legend around
Tennis ball above net, London 2012 logo above, denomination below.
50 PENCE
Tennis 50p market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateTennis 50p price history
Daily limit reachedTennis 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BU | £5.99 🔒 eBay | £7.47 (2) | – | £5.99 – £8.95 | 2 | 2 | 26-03-2026 | |
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| VF | £2.77 🔒 eBay | £2.77 | ▼9.2% | £0.63 – £16.15 | 90 | 90 | 03-10-2026 | |
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About the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Tennis
The 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Tennis 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: Tennis ball above net, London 2012 logo above, denomination below.
1,454,000 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Tennis worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Tennis run from £2.77 to £7.47 across 2 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many Olympic Tennis 50p coins were made?
1,454,000 were struck for circulation, according to the Royal Mint's mintage figures. That is the fifth lowest of the 29 London 2012 sport designs. Only Football, Wrestling, Judo and Triathlon are lower, and all four of those are below 1.2 million.
Is the Tennis 50p rare?
It is one of the scarcer Olympic designs. The Royal Mint placed it ninth in its October 2024 list of the ten rarest 50p coins in circulation, behind the 2018 Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny coins at 1,400,000 each and ahead of the Goalball coin.
Who designed the Tennis 50p?
Tracy Baines, whose design was one of four she entered in the Royal Mint's public competition. The Royal Mint describes her as a sculptor and jewellery designer from Peterborough. The obverse portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is by Ian Rank-Broadley.
What does the Tennis 50p show?
A tennis net and a tennis ball, with the London 2012 logo above and 50 PENCE below. The Royal Mint describes it as a close-up view of a ball as it just clears the net, with the texture of the ball picked out.
Can you still find the Tennis 50p in change?
Yes, it was struck for general circulation, so it can still appear in change. Only 1,454,000 were struck, the fifth lowest figure in the series, and the Royal Mint counts it among the ten rarest 50p coins in circulation, so finding one takes patience.
How do I identify the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Tennis?
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 Tennis 50p belongs to the set of 29 coins issued for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, one per sport, with reverses chosen through a public design competition. Its design was set out in a royal proclamation that came into force on 12 May 2010. Like the rest of the series it is dated 2011.
The Royal Mint's figures give a circulating mintage of 1,454,000, the fifth lowest of the 29. The four below it (Football, Wrestling, Judo and Triathlon) are bunched between 1,125,500 and 1,163,500, so Tennis stands a little apart: 290,500 more than Triathlon and 161,500 fewer than the next design up, Goalball.
In October 2024 the Royal Mint ranked it ninth among the ten rarest 50p coins in circulation. The 2018 Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny coins, at 1,400,000 each, came between it and the four scarcer Olympic designs.
The reverse is by Tracy Baines, described by the Royal Mint as a sculptor and jewellery designer from Peterborough. The proclamation calls it "a tennis net and a tennis ball", with the London 2012 logo above and 50 PENCE below. The Royal Mint's own description is of a close-up view of a ball as it just clears the net, with attention given to the texture of the ball.
Baines told the Royal Mint Museum that she saw the competition in the Guardian with just over a week left, which made it "a last minute kind of panic". She submitted four designs and the tennis one won. She chose the sport mainly because her mother is "just a huge fan of it" and she had grown up with it.
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. Scuffs, toning and flattened detail on a circulated example are wear, not errors.
The design relies on texture, so look at the surface of the ball and the mesh of the net. Check that both are still clear on a coin that has seen years of use.
The proclamation also provided for the design to be struck in gold. Any precious-metal versions share the design but are separate from the 1,454,000 struck for circulation.
The coin gained a footnote after it was struck. The Royal Mint points out that Andy Murray won the men's singles gold medal for Team GB at London 2012, beating Roger Federer in the final.
It was struck for general circulation and can still be found in change. The next scarcest design is the Triathlon 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 Tennis 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Tennis fifty pence piece, 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)
- 2011 Olympic Tennis 50p (London 2012), Coin Hunter (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Olympic 50 pence pieces, The Royal Mint Museum (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The Rarest 50p Coins, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Making a Splash! The Royal Mint Crowns Atlantic Salmon 50p as Rarest 50p in Circulation, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
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