A coin expert shared a sought-after 50p that could be worth up “more than 500 times” its face value
A coin expert has urged Brits to look out for a sought-after 50p from 2009. This coveted piece could sell for almost £300 to collectors.
The coin in question was minted to commemorate the 2012 London Olympics. It features a high-jumping athlete, a design created by a child as part of a Blue Peter competition.
However, note that it only holds substantial value if it is dated 2009. The same coin from 2011 is far more prevalent and therefore not as valuable.
In a video uploaded to social media platform TikTok, an expert known as the Coin Collecting Wizard said: “Do you know why this coin is known as the athletics 50 pence? Collectors are keen to get their hands on this piece of history and its nod to the classic children’s television show adds a personal stake to the value for many too.
“The rare coin features a picture showing an athlete in the Olympics as drawn and depicted by the young viewer back in 2009, but it wouldn’t be until 2011 that the coin was officially minted and distributed to public hands. Around two million of the coins were minted in 2011 and released into circulation, but an earlier version of the coin was minted in 2009 and is much more valuable to collectors.”
According to the expert, the most valuable version of the coin is one that comes in commemorative packaging. “It helps when it comes with its original packaging that includes images of presenters from the hit show,” he said.
Examples of this have sold for £275 online. He continued: “It sold for £275 on eBay in the past, which makes it over 500 times more than face value. This is a sought after coin among collectors, but remember that if you want the big bucks then you need to check the date as the 2011 version of this coin is just worth 50 pence but possibly slightly more to collectors.”
On its website, the Britannia Coin Company shared more about the coin. It said: “The designs for this collection were selected from 30,000 designs submitted by the public as part of a competition – the design for the the athletics coin is slightly different however, as it was chosen as part of a Blue Peter competition.
“The 2011 Athletics 50p, also known as the ‘High Jump 50p’, was chosen from 17,000 entries from children to the Blue Peter competition. Nine-year-old Florence Jackson won the competition and is the first ever child to have designed a UK coin from The Royal Mint. The reverse of the 2011 Athletics 50p displays Jackson’s design of a high jumper jumping over a horizontal bar, the 2012 Summer Olympics logo above and ’50 PENCE’ below.”
