Team GB 50p

Introducing the Team GB 50p Coin

In 2016 the Summer Olympics were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This would be the 31^st celebration of the games with 207 nations participating and over 11,000 athletes competing. Team GB brought 366 of their best athletes in 25 sports from rowing to archery. They would eventually bring home 27 Gold medals, 23 Silver medals, and 17 Bronze, ranking second in the overall medal table. Some highlights include Max Whitlock winning Britain’s first ever gold medal in men’s gymnastics and Sophie Hitchon winning Britain’s first medal ever in the women’s hammer. 

2016 Team GB 50p

The Team GB 50p was designed by Tim Sharp and Peter Blake from the brand design agency, Uniform. Minted to wish Team GB success in the 2016 Summer Games, it captures a moment where a swimmer is in mid-butterfly stroke, ready to dive back into the water. Above the swimmer’s head are the Team GB mascot, a lion, and the Olympic rings. 

Peter Blake, in an interview with the Royal Mint, described why the agency went with a swimmer for the design. “We chose the swimmer because it was such a dramatic, iconic pose. It’s not meant to be a specific athlete at all – it was more about choosing an athlete that felt very poised and energetic rather than singling out an athlete, and, we’re pretty good at swimming so we thought a swimmer was perfect!”

(Caption: Team GB’s lion mascot)

How Much is the Team GB 50p Coin Worth?

The Team GB 50p coin has a mintage figure of 6.4 million, making it a fairly common coin to find in your change. As of 2019, the highest price paid on eBay for a circulation coin was £5.00. However, prices go up for other versions of the coin, which we’ll describe further below. 

Other Versions of the Team GB 50p Coin

The Royal Mint also released coins for collectors and fans of Team GB that wanted to show their support in a larger way. There’s the Brilliant Uncirculated version (mintage 34,162), the Silver Proof version (mintage 3,956), Silver Proof Piedfort (mintage 1,296), and the Gold Proof version (mintage 302). 

Other Olympic 50p Coins

If you’re interested in other Olympic games 50p coins, the Chancery Collection has others that might interest you. There are the ever popular 29 Olympic 50p coins for the 2012 Summer Games, including the Triathlon 50p and the Judo 50p.