50 Pence - Elizabeth II Gymnastics Gold Proof (2011)
Circulating version: 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Gymnastics
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2011 |
| Denomination | 50 Pence |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 1 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Olympic 50p (2011) |
| 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
Gymnast with ribbon, London 2012 logo above, denomination below.
Find this on eBay
AffiliateGold Proof 50p price history
Daily limit reachedAbout the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Gymnastics – Gold Proof
The 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Gymnastics – Gold Proof is a collector 50 pence coin in the Olympic 50p (2011) series, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 15.5g and measures 27.3mm across. Reverse design: Gymnast with ribbon, London 2012 logo above, denomination below.
Common questions
How much is the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Gymnastics – Gold Proof worth?
No verified sale of the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Gymnastics – Gold Proof has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its gold content is worth about £1,375 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How is the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Gymnastics – Gold Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Gymnastics, 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 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Gymnastics – 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 – Gymnastics. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
The Gymnastics 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, the gymnastics 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 1,720,813. That puts it in the middle of the series: it is the twelfth lowest of the 29, with Rowing just below at 1,717,300 and Table Tennis just above at 1,737,500. It is also the only one of the 29 figures that is not a round number of hundreds.
The reverse is by Jonathan Olliffe, who also designed the Aquatics coin in the same series, and was chosen from more than 30,000 public submissions. The proclamation describes it as "a gymnast with a ribbon". The discipline is rhythmic gymnastics: a gymnast in mid-leap trails a ribbon that sweeps across the coin and passes behind the London 2012 logo, with 50 PENCE below.
Olliffe told the Royal Mint Museum that he picked the sport "because I saw it as a challenge". The ribbon was the answer to that challenge, "a useful tool to create that illusion of movement" on a small, still surface. He called gymnastics "quite a poetic sport".
He worked from books, the internet and video of routines, studying how ribbons move and the different types used. He described the coin as his own way of taking part in the Games, "in a design sense using my silversmith experience."
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.
Sources
- 2011 Elizabeth II London Olympic Gymnastics 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Gymnastic: Jonathan Olliffe, 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)
