Roger Bannister 50p

Introducing the Roger Bannister 50p 

On 6 May 1954, Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister did what most thought not humanly possible – he was the first person to break the four-minute mile. After achieving fourth place in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics in the 1500m run, he decided to focus on breaking the four-minute mile threshold. Because of his concurrent studies to be a neurologist, Roger used his medical knowledge to specially train his body for the goal. His personalised training was a modern mixture of interval training. Braking the record on the track at Oxford University with 3:59.4, he eventually retired from athletics and focused on practising as a neurologist. Awarded knighthood in 1975 for his service as the first Chairman of the Sports Council, he passed away 3 March 2018.

Roger Bannister 2004 50p 

The Royal Mint announced this 50p for the 50^th anniversary of his achievements, an unusual move because typically such commemorative coins do not celebrate a living person. The Roger Bannister 50p’s design by James Butler features an athlete’s legs and midsection running in front of a stopwatch, the hand just at the 59-second mark, a tribute to Roger’s record-breaking time.

(Caption: Roger Bannister by Pruneau is licensed under CC BY-SA3.0)

How Much is the Roger Bannister 50p Coin Worth? 

The Roger Bannister 50p has a mintage of about 9 million. This is a common coin to find. The highest price sold on eBay for a circulation version of the coin, as of 2019, was £2.69. 

Other Versions of the Roger Bannister 50p

There are other, more collectible, versions of the coin. The Royal Mint has released the Roger Bannister coin in Gold Proof (mintage of 1,250), Silver Proof (mintage of 15,000), Silver Proof Piedfort (mintage of 7,500), and Brilliant Uncirculated. 

In 2019, for the 50^th anniversary of the 50p, the Royal Mint reissued the coin as part of a special set of popular 50p coins. This 2019 Roger Bannister 50p is strictly a commemorative coin and will not enter circulation. It features the 5^th crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark. Other coins reissued for this special year include the Girl Guides 50p and Kew Gardens 50p.