Commonwealth Games 50p Coin

Introducing the Commonwealth Games 50p Coin

To celebrate the 20^th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, the Royal Mint released the Commonwealth Games 50p coin in 2014. The Commonwealth Games started in 1930, with the following games occurring every four years since that time. Held between 23 July to 3 August, the 2014 Games brought together athletes from the 71 different nations from the Commonwealth to compete in 18 different sports, including such sports as boxing, gymnastics, and rugby sevens. 

Commonwealth Games 2014 50p 

The Commonwealth Games 50p coin features two athletes of the Games, a cyclist and athlete, competing within Scotland’s St Andrew’s Cross. The figures are inspired by one of Scotland’s most successful athletes, Sir Chris Hoy, and Graeme Obree. The year 2014 and the official name of the year’s Games, ‘XX Commonwealth Games,’ along with the location, Glasgow, are also shown prominently. The font is based on the writing of Glasgow architect, artist, and designer, Charles Rennie Mackintosh. 

The coin’s reverse is designed by Alex Loudon and Dan Flashman of the design firm tangerine. Alex Loudon explains the thought process behind the design on the tangerine blog, “We thought we had strong elements that summed up the athletic spirit of the Games. We used the Scottish Saltire in a very subtle way, but the final design was one people could recognise and understand.”

The obverse design is of the portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS. This coin a wonderful token to remember the amazing dedication of the athletes from across the Commonwealth.

Athletes also had a unique opportunity to get involved with the coin’s production. The Royal Mint extended a special invitation to 2012 Olympics gold medalist, Rebecca Adlington, to visit the mint to strike the first coin. Production then officially started once Rhys Williams, European champion hurdler and representative of Team Wales, visited the mint during his run along the Queen’s baton relay. His run through the mint carried him to the production room where he pushed the button to initiate the minting process. 

(Caption: Logo of the 2014 Commonwealth Games)

How Much is the Commonwealth Games 50p Coin Worth?

The coin, also known as the “Glasgow 2014”, has a mintage value of 6.5 million. It’s considered a common coin to find. As of the end of March 2019, the highest price sold on eBay for a circulated coin was £25.

Other Versions of the Commonwealth Games 50p

Beyond the circulation coins, you can find the Glasgow Commonwealth Games coin in XX versions: the Brilliant Uncirculated version (mintage of 14,500), the Gold Proof (mintage of 260), Silver Proof (mintage of 2500), and the Silver Proof Piedfort (mintage of 1000).

The Commonwealth Games On Other Coins

The Commonwealth Games have made other appearances on British currency. The first appearance was actually in 1986 to commemorate the XIII Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. The Royal Mint released a 2 pound 1986 Commonwealth Games coin. Then in 2002, there was a special 2-pound coin series for the XVII Commonwealth Games. A series of four coins, each coin had a flag of one of the participating countries from the UK.