The challenge is ON! How many Olympic 50ps can you collect?

After a year long wait the highly anticipated 2020 Tokyo Games have commenced and to celebrate Change Checker has a numismatic challenge for you to take part in!

In 2012, the Olympic Games were hosted in London and to mark the occasion The Royal Mint issued 29 50p coins, each depicting a design of a different sport.

So, we’re challenging Change Checkers to hunt down the Olympic 50ps to see if you can complete a collection of all 29 coins.

It won’t be easy, as it’s estimated that 75% of these coin have been removed from circulation by collectors, but by checking your change and swapping with other collectors, it’s definitely possible to find the complete set.

Sports Edition 50p Collecting Pack

To kickstart your collection, you can now get your hands on the Change Checker Sports 50p Collecting Pack, including space for all 29 coins as you find them in your change!

What’s more, we’ll even include a mystery Olympic 50p to get your collection started and you’ll receive a Change Checker Completer Medal too!

The set comes housed in a Change Checker Album, with pages and a title card telling you all you need to know about these coins.

These really were the 50ps that kick-started the nation’s love of collecting and with such amazing designs, many of which were created by members of the public, you can see why these coins are so well-loved!

They have some of the lowest mintage figures of all the UK 50p coins, with the Football 50p in particular, having a mintage of JUST 1,125,500.

When you consider the popularity and mintage figures of these coins, it really is an exciting challenge to try and collect all 29 designs. What’s more, with the Tokyo Games having just begun, it really is the perfect chance to see how many you can find.


How many will you collect? Best of luck Change Checkers!

Don’t forget to check back in with us to tell us how you’re getting on in the challenge!


Secure your Sports Edition 50p Collecting Pack today!

Kick-start your Olympic 50p collection with the Change Checker Sports 50p Collecting Pack for JUST £19.99 (+p&p).

Your pack includes an official Change Checker Album, ID cards for all of the London 2012 50p coins, pocket pages, and the Sports Edition Title page.

Excitingly, you’ll also receive a mystery London 2012 50p to house in your album PLUS a special Sports Edition Medal.

To take part in the challenge and to secure your Change Checker Sports Edition 50p Collection, simply click here >>

45 Comments

  1. Michael on August 20, 2021 at 10:46 pm

    Finally after nearly 2 years and asking family and friends to check change for 50p coins and a little help from ebay , I can now confirm my collection is complete with all 20 coins.



    • Michael on August 20, 2021 at 10:49 pm

      29 coins



  2. Michelle Meadows on August 8, 2021 at 8:25 pm

    I have 3 complete sets of Olympic 50ps



  3. Sheila McMillan on August 7, 2021 at 1:54 pm

    I bought the whole set of Olympic coins in 2012 from WH Smith at £2.99 each.



  4. Glyn Newbold on August 6, 2021 at 4:03 pm

    I have 2 full sets and 27 out of 29 in another need football and wrestling. Plus 107 swaps.



  5. Clive on July 26, 2021 at 8:34 pm

    I have collected all 29 ?



  6. Paul Murkett on July 25, 2021 at 1:21 pm

    Great blog,To be fair you are correct in saying how difficult it is to find the Olympic 50ps I do help my son in his quest to find them for his collection but it’s so hard as you said it is really hard to find them in circulation for his collection he has got 27 of them just missing football and the triathlon ones which are 2 of the rarest but fingers crossed he may find them eventually from circulation,But last week I did find one in my change from our local shop and unbelievably it is the 50p with lines over swimmers face it doesn’t say it is a copy anywhere on the coin so I contacted the royal mint and they said they would check it out to see if its possibly genuine so fingers crossed,just to put it out there if you do think you have a coin you think is an error coin or mistrike the Royal mint will charge £20 for you to use the service they provide to check out your coins.



  7. Rebecca Pearson on July 24, 2021 at 9:46 pm

    I have the full collection of the 2012 Olympic 50p coins



  8. Dave on July 24, 2021 at 10:13 am

    I have collected all 29 of the 2012 Olympic 50p coins.



  9. michael ashton on July 24, 2021 at 12:35 am

    question: what if i already have all 29, how can i get the medal.



  10. Les Kent on July 23, 2021 at 3:17 pm

    what about all the collectors like myself who have the sets already can we buy a commemorative completer medal ?.



  11. JONATHAN MARSTON on July 23, 2021 at 3:02 pm

    Complete
    Do I win something
    Lol



  12. Barry Wilshaw on July 23, 2021 at 2:54 pm

    I already have all of the Olympic coins that I collected from 2012 housed in a special display case, good luck to anyone trying to find them.



  13. Denise Shipley on July 23, 2021 at 2:23 pm

    I have all the original collection, collected over the years and they are in the the Official London 2012 folder with the Completer Medallion. All are in excellent condition. Can you please give me an estimation of their worth – as a complete collection,



  14. Mr A J Davis on July 23, 2021 at 1:16 pm

    I have all 29 Olympic 50p coins



  15. Jignesh Patel on July 23, 2021 at 1:02 pm

    Just had a double find of the Football one…..and Completed…..BUT……
    ….shoyld there be another which included the earlier version of the Swimmer???



    • Rachel Hooper on July 26, 2021 at 3:36 pm

      Woohoo, well done on finding the Football 50p and completing your set! You’re correct, there are two versions of the Aquatics 50p, the first being struck in error and then reissued without the lines over the swimmer’s face.



  16. Michael Arnull on July 23, 2021 at 11:49 am

    How much is the sports completer medal separately please , I have the sets already?



  17. phillip halton on July 23, 2021 at 10:59 am

    i have all olympic 50p coins



  18. Muyesser Muezzin on July 23, 2021 at 10:39 am

    Hi
    I would love to take part in this new Olympic 50p Challenge, I would love to purchase the pack you have, I wanted to find out, as I already have the album, is this pack available minus the album?
    Looking forward to you reply and look forward to another exciting challenge.
    Kind Regards



    • Rachel Hooper on July 26, 2021 at 3:38 pm

      We’re so glad to hear you’re looking forward to taking part in the challenge! Whilst the set isn’t available to purchase without the album, you could always gift the empty album to another collector if you still have room in your current album.



  19. Raymond Balding on July 23, 2021 at 10:30 am

    Nice thing for new collectors. Completed my own collection in 2012, was great fun looking for them.



  20. Adrian Charlton on July 23, 2021 at 10:19 am

    There are actually 30 Olympic 50p coins. The first aquatic issues showed the water flowing over the swimmer’s face. On later ones, the face is clear.
    I have a complete set, it took a long time to complete, the last being football in September 2017.
    Good luck to all collectors, I never see any Olympic 50p’s in change now, but most are available on ebay (at a price).



  21. Clive Morris on July 23, 2021 at 9:58 am

    Given how few of these coins seem to be still in circulation this could prove to be either a very frustrating or very expensive time to start collecting these coins. Fortunately I already have a set of circulated coins as well as a set of mint coins. Good luck though if you choose to go for it



  22. Ms. Suzanne A. Ritchie on July 23, 2021 at 9:50 am

    I already have collected all 29 coins in the London Olympics.



  23. Andy on July 23, 2021 at 9:16 am

    I live on the Isle of Man and I’ve managed to collect 13 full sets of these coins.



    • Paul on July 26, 2021 at 7:00 pm

      That’s amazing mate,good on ya?