Series

London 2012 Olympic 50p Series

All 29 sports issued as part of the Royal Mint's London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic 50p series — the first complete sports-themed UK coin set. Every design, designer, mintage and current realised value.

In brief The Royal Mint issued 29 sport-themed 50p coins for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games — released between 2011 and 2012, all featuring Ian Rank-Broadley's fourth Elizabeth II portrait on the obverse. Mintages range from 1.13 million (football, the rarest) to 2.22 million (athletics, the most common). The complete set is one of the most-collected modern UK series.

All 29 sports — sorted by rarity (lowest mintage first)

Click any sport for the full design notes, designer credit, mintage and current realised values.

Rare
Football
Mintage 1,125,500
 Rare
Wrestling
Mintage 1,129,500
 Rare
Judo
Mintage 1,161,500
 Rare
Triathlon
Mintage 1,163,500
 Rare
Tennis
Mintage 1,454,000
Goalball
Mintage 1,615,500
Archery
Mintage 1,656,500
Shooting
Mintage 1,656,500
Taekwondo
Mintage 1,664,000
Handball
Mintage 1,676,500
Modern Pentathlon
Mintage 1,689,500
Rowing
Mintage 1,717,300
Gymnastics
Mintage 1,720,000
Table Tennis
Mintage 1,737,500
Basketball
Mintage 1,748,000
Sailing
Mintage 1,749,500
Wheelchair Rugby
Mintage 1,765,500
Hockey
Mintage 1,773,500
Weightlifting
Mintage 1,879,500
Cycling
Mintage 2,090,500
Fencing
Mintage 2,115,500
Volleyball
Mintage 2,133,500
Equestrian
Mintage 2,142,500
Boxing
Mintage 2,148,500
Badminton
Mintage 2,166,000
Boccia
Mintage 2,166,000
Canoeing
Mintage 2,166,500
Aquatics
Mintage 2,179,000
Athletics
Mintage 2,224,000

Why the Olympic 50p series matters

The 2011-12 Olympic series was a turning point for UK coin collecting. With 29 distinct designs released into pocket change, every household became an accidental collector — completing the set from change alone became a long-running national hobby. The football "offside rule" 50p, with the lowest mintage of the series at 1.13 million, became one of the most-recognised UK commemoratives of the 21st century.

All 29 use Ian Rank-Broadley's fourth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. Reverse designers were selected through a public competition, with several winning entries from amateur artists and students.

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