50 Pence - Elizabeth II Tennis Gold Proof (2011)
Circulating version: 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Table Tennis
| 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
Tennis ball above net, London 2012 logo above, denomination below.
Find this on eBay
AffiliateGold Proof 50p price history
Daily limit reachedAbout the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Tennis – Gold Proof
The 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Tennis – 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: Tennis ball above net, London 2012 logo above, denomination below.
Common questions
How much is the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Tennis – Gold Proof worth?
No verified sale of the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Tennis – 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 Tennis – Gold Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 2011 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Table Tennis, 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 Tennis – 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 – Tennis. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
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.
Sources
- 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)
More from Olympic 50p (2011)
