2011 Olympic Wrestling 50p
The 2011 Olympic Wrestling 50p is a circulating 50p with 1.13 million made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2011
- Circulation mintage
- 1,129,500
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel)
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 2011 Olympic Wrestling 50p worth?
At 1.13 million, the 2011 Olympic Wrestling 50p has a smaller run than most 50p coins, so collectors pay a small premium for it, especially in uncirculated condition. Well circulated examples sit close to face value.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with no scratches or contact marks
- Original Royal Mint pack or presentation folder
- A genuine mint error, confirmed by an expert
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 2011 Olympic Wrestling 50p rare?
- It is scarcer than most 50p coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 2011 Olympic Wrestling 50p coins were made?
- 1,129,500 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2011 Olympic Wrestling 50p made of?
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). It weighs 8.0 g and measures 27.3 mm, with a seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) shape.
- Is the 2011 Olympic Wrestling 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2011 Olympic Wrestling 50p was made
Wrestling has the oldest Olympic pedigree of any sport in this set. It was contested at the ancient Games in Greece from 708 BC and was part of the first modern Olympics in 1896. Today there are two styles. In Greco-Roman wrestling, holds below the waist are banned and the legs can't be used to attack. In freestyle, wrestlers can grip and trip the legs. Women's freestyle was added in 2004. The sport's place at the Games was briefly in doubt in 2013, when Olympic officials voted to drop it, before reversing that decision later the same year.
The Wrestling coin was one of 29 designs issued by the Royal Mint for London 2012, each picked from entries to the public competition of 2009. The coins were released into change over 2011 and 2012. Wrestling ended up with the second lowest mintage in the whole series, just 4,000 coins more than Football. That puts it among the most sought after coins in the set. At London 2012 the wrestling tournament shared a Docklands exhibition venue with judo, taekwondo and boxing.
How to recognize it
The reverse shows two wrestlers locked together, one working to throw the other, in a stadium setting. The figures are tightly bound and full of tension, filling much of the coin. Telling it apart from Judo takes a closer look, since both show two grappling figures. On the Wrestling coin, look for the stadium setting behind the pair. Alongside the sport, the reverse features the London 2012 emblem. On the obverse is Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the date 2011, the date on every design in the series. Its size and shape match any 50p of the period, seven-sided at 27.3 mm with a plain edge.
The other side carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1998 to 2015.
2011 Olympic Wrestling 50p by the numbers
By the numbers, the 2011 Olympic Wrestling 50p ranks 4th lowest of 76 circulating 50p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2011 Olympic Football 50p (1.13 million); the next more common is the 2011 Olympic Judo 50p (1.16 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1973 EEC Hands 50p with 89.8 million, about 79 times as many. The scarcest is the 1992 Single Market 50p with 109,000, 10 times fewer than this one.
It shared 2011 with 29 other circulating 50p designs, from the Olympic Football (1.13 million) up to the WWF (3.4 million). 1 of them had a smaller run.
Within the 2011 Olympic and Paralympic set of 29, it ranks 2nd scarcest, behind the Football.
What to check on your 2011 Olympic Wrestling 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the Olympic Wrestling described above and carry the date 2011; similar designs from other years are a common mix-up.
- Weigh it if you can: a genuine 27.3 mm 50p weighs 8.0 g. Copies are often light, slightly soft in detail or the wrong color.
- Ignore painted or colored versions sold online as special editions. Color added after the coin left the Mint does not make it a Royal Mint issue and does not add collector value.
- Look at the surfaces under a bright light. Coins straight from a pack have unbroken luster; change-worn coins show scuffs on the high points of the portrait and design.
With 1,129,500 struck for circulation, Wrestling has the second lowest mintage of the Olympic series, only slightly above Football. It belongs to the group of four designs around 1.1 million that collectors chase hardest, along with Judo and Triathlon. Circulated examples usually carry a small premium over face value. Well preserved coins attract more interest. Royal Mint collector packs are the other place you'll find this design. Pack coins have bright luster and sharp figures, whereas coins from change show worn high points where the wrestlers' backs and arms meet.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2011 |
| Circulation mintage | 1,129,500 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.0 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Other 2011 50p coins
Frequently asked questions
Is the Wrestling 50p rare?
It is one of the scarcest Olympic 50ps. With 1,129,500 struck for circulation, it has the second lowest mintage of the 29 designs, only 4,000 more than Football. Circulated examples often carry a small premium.
How is the Wrestling 50p different from the Judo 50p?
Both show two figures grappling with a throw in progress. The Wrestling coin places the pair in a stadium setting, which is the quickest detail to check. Wrestling also had a slightly lower mintage than Judo.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.