50 Pence - Elizabeth II Handball Gold Proof (2011)

About the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Handball – Gold Proof

The 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Handball – 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: Handball player throwing a ball against a background of a handball court, London 2012 logo above, denomination below.

Common questions

History and design

This is a collector version of the 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Handball. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.

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.