50 Pence - Elizabeth II Athletics Gold Proof (2009)
Circulating version: 2009 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Athletics
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2009 |
| Denomination | 50 Pence |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 1 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 15.500g · 0.4568 t oz |
| Diameter | 27.3mm |
| Shape | Equilateral curve heptagon (7-sided) |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Fourth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, legend around.
Child's drawing of a youth vaulting over a bar, London 2012 logo above, denomination below.
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AffiliateAbout the 2009 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Athletics – Gold Proof
The 2009 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Athletics – Gold Proof is a collector 50 pence coin, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 15.5g and measures 27.3mm across. Reverse design: Child's drawing of a youth vaulting over a bar, London 2012 logo above, denomination below.
Common questions
How much is the 2009 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Athletics – Gold Proof worth?
No verified sale of the 2009 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Athletics – Gold Proof has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its gold content is worth about £1,373 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How is the 2009 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Athletics – Gold Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 2009 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Athletics, not the coin found in change. At 15.5g of 91.67% gold it is heavier than the 8g nickel circulating coin, so weighing it is the quickest check.
How do I identify the 2009 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Athletics – Gold Proof?
Check the weight 15.5g and diameter 27.3mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
This is a collector version of the 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Athletics. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
The Blue Peter 50p is the first of the London 2012 sport designs and the only one dated 2009. Its reverse won a competition run by the children's television programme Blue Peter, which the Royal Mint says drew more than 17,000 entries.
A royal proclamation in force from 16 October 2009 authorised a 50p for the Games with a single reverse, an athlete clearing a high jump bar, in cupro-nickel and in gold. The Royal Mint Museum records that the first issue of the design was struck in 2009 and was available only in a special presentation pack. The Royal Mint's mintage figures list no Athletics 50p for 2009, so none went into circulation.
The design came back two years later as one of the 29 Olympic and Paralympic sport coins dated 2011. That coin is a separate, circulating issue of 2,224,000, the second highest of the 29 in the Royal Mint's figures. This entry is the 2009 pack coin.
No Royal Mint sales figure for the pack was found. Coin Hunter records 19,722 sold and Check Your Change 19,751, while Change Checker says 100,000 packs were issued.
The reverse is by Florence Jackson, who was nine years old, and whom the Royal Mint Museum describes as the youngest ever designer of United Kingdom coinage. It shows a high jumper clearing the bar, drawn in what the Royal Mint calls a simple and expressive style, with the London 2012 logo above and 50 PENCE below.
The obverse carries the fourth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, by Ian Rank-Broadley, with the date 2009. The edge is plain.
Sources
- Athletics: Florence Jackson, The Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- 2009 / 2011 Athletics (Blue Peter 50p Winner's Edition), Coin Hunter (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Commemorative Coin Sales 2009, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and design for fifty pence coins commemorating the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, London Gazette issue 59217, 20 October 2009, The Gazette (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation altering the proclamation of 15 October 2009 to determine new designs for the fifty pence coins commemorating the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, London Gazette issue 59267, 11 December 2009, The Gazette (read 10 Oct 2026)
- 50p Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2011 Elizabeth II London Olympic Athletics 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- UK coin mintage figures (data file), The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2009 London 2012 Olympic Games: Blue Peter 50p - Winner's Edition, Coin Hunter (read 10 Oct 2026)
- 2009 Fifty Pence, Check Your Change (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Do you own the rarest Olympic 50p?, Change Checker (read 10 Oct 2026)
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