50 Pence - Elizabeth II Sailing Gold Proof (2011)
Circulating version: 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Sailing
| 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) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | Bruce Rushin |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
| Tags | Summer Olympic Games Map Boat or watercraft |
Fourth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, legend around
ELIZABETH·II·D·G REG·F·D·2011 IRB
Three sailing boats on water with a map of the coast of Weymouth in the background, London 2012 logo above, denomination below.
london 2012 50 PENCE
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Sailing – Gold Proof
The 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Sailing – 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: Three sailing boats on water with a map of the coast of Weymouth in the background, London 2012 logo above, denomination below.
Common questions
How much is the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Sailing – Gold Proof worth?
No verified sale of the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Sailing – 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 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Sailing – Gold Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Sailing, 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 Sailing – 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 – Sailing. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
The Sailing 50p is one of 29 designs issued for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, one for each sport, chosen through a design competition open to the general public. The royal proclamation setting out the designs came into force on 12 May 2010, and the coin is dated 2011.
The Royal Mint's figures give a circulating mintage of 1,749,500. That is the exact middle of the series: fourteen of the 29 designs have lower figures and fourteen have higher ones. Its neighbours are Basketball (1,748,000), only 1,500 coins below, and Wheelchair Rugby (1,765,500). The scarcest design, Football, stands at 1,125,500 and the most common, Archery, at 3,345,500.
The reverse is by Bruce Rushin, who already had a circulating coin to his name. He won the 1997 competition to design the new £2 coin and told the Royal Mint Museum that he had kept submitting designs ever since, with this the first success.
Rushin said he lives in the Norfolk Broads and does not sail himself, but has always loved watching the yachts go past. He was inspired by the successes of Ben Ainslie and was surprised to learn how small the dinghies are, so that is the type of boat he drew. Three of them cross stylised waves, one leading and two trailing.
The setting is specific. The Olympic regatta was held off Weymouth, and Rushin worked the outline of Chesil Beach and Portland Bill into the design. Instead of sky or clouds, he said, he filled the background with "latitude and longitude lines of a nautical chart".
The London 2012 logo sits above and 50 PENCE below. The obverse carries the fourth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley. The edge is plain.
Sources
- 2011 Elizabeth II London Olympic Sailing 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Sailing 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 Sailing 50p (London 2012), Coin Hunter (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Olympic 50 pence pieces, The Royal Mint Museum (read 9 Oct 2026)
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