Handball 50p

Introducing the Handball 50p Coin

Handball took some time to become one of the standard Summer Olympic sports. It first started as outdoor field handball at the 1936 Berlin Olympics but it was dropped for the following Games. The sport as it’s known now started in 1972 at the Munich Games. It was played indoors. Women’s competition soon followed in the 1976 Montreal Games. 

Handball consists of two teams of seven players passing a ball only using their hands to get it into the goal of the other team. These matches are quick two 30-minute halves where each team typically can score up to 35 goals each. For the 2012 London Games, the Men’s Gold medal was awarded to France while the Women’s Gold medal was awarded to Norway. 

Handball 2011 50p

The Handball 50p was designed by Natasha Ratcliffe, an artist and sculptor from Cornwall. She also designed the Wheelchair Rugby 50p. The design shows a player about to release the ball with the 2012 London logo at the top of the coin. Behind the player is a diagram of the handball court. 

When interviewed by the Royal Mint Museum, Natasha explained how she created her design. “When I was researching how to do this coin I was looking mainly at photos of the people because I really wanted a personal aspect in there and I was trying to find the best, most dynamic poses but then I realised it looked a little like basketball so in goes the pitch, I had to throw that in at the background but the way that its laid on top makes it, it gives it really good depth and the background almost makes it look like there’s a crowd around the pitch as well.” 

(Caption: Pictogram for the Handball event at the 2012 London Olympics)

How Much is the Handball 50p Coin Worth?

On eBay, as of October 2019, the highest price for any version of the Handball 50p was £10.25. It was for a Brilliant Uncirculated version still in its original packaging. 

How Many Handball 50p Coins Were Made in Circulation?

The Royal Mint released 1,676,500 Handball 50p coins into circulation. 

Other Versions of the Handball 50p Coin

There are three versions of the Handball 50p coin for collectors to find. The first is the base metal, or circulation coin, free for anyone to find in their change. The other two is the Brilliant Uncirculated version and the Silver Proof version (mintage 30,000), meant for more serious coin collectors. 

Other Olympics Coins

If you’re curious about the Olympic 50p coins, Chancery Coins has a guide that covers everything about those 29 50p coins. 

If you want to collect other Olympics coins, the Royal Mint released a £2 coin series for the Handover ceremony and a £5 coin series to celebrate the countdown to the 2012 Games. There is also the 50p for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics and the £2 coin for the 100^th anniversary of the 1908 London Games in 2008.