Why are the Olympic 50ps so Sought-After?

As we look ahead to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games this year, I can hardly believe it’s been more than 10 years since London 2012!

Not only was this a pivotal moment in Britain’s sporting history, but it also marked a significant moment in the collecting world – inspiring the nation to check their change and join the hunt for the 29 different sporting designs to be found…

The UK Olympic 50p Series

Without doubt, this 29 coin series created a frenzy, and not just among collectors… Millions rose to the challenge of collecting all 29, and for many, this marked the start of their interest in coins.

So popular were these 50ps, that The Royal Mint estimates as many as 75% of them have been removed from circulation by collectors!

But are you lucky enough to have any in your collection and which ones should you really be looking out for?

What is the rarest Olympic 50p?

Olympic 50ps have long been a favourite amongst collectors, not only for their exciting theme, but also the thrill of tracking down these rare coins. Minted in much lower quantities than the standard 50ps you can find in your change, it really has been somewhat of a treasure hunt trying to find these coins!

In fact, as the rarest of them all, only 1,125,500 Football 50ps entered circulation! This is definitely the rare one to look out for. Closely following the Football 50p, you’ll see the Wrestling, Judo, Triathlon and Tennis coins – each with a mintage less than 1.5 million.

However, are there Olympic 50ps out there even rarer than these? To find out we must look beyond The Royal Mint’s official circulation figures

The withdrawn Aquatics ‘error’ Olympic 50p

Did you know that the Aquatics 50p which we are familiar with today is actually a modified version of the coin design?

The original version featured waves passing over the swimmer’s face, but was withdrawn from circulation and the design adapted to make the face more visible. However, there are still a few out there…

ST-Change-Checker-Spot-the-Difference-Olympics-Aquatics-50p-Coin (2)

Although the exact quantity of the original Aquatics design remains a mystery, it has been known for these special coins to exchange hands for close to £1000… not a bad return on a 50p coin!

2009 Athletics Olympic 50p

ST-London-Olympics-Blue-Peter-50p-Pack

In 2009, nine-year old Florence Jackson became the youngest person to design a coin for circulation in the UK. Her Athletics Olympic 50p design was the ultimate winner of a Blue Peter competition.

Although you may recognise this coin, you may not know that a rare version of this coin exists. When the competition winner was revealed, only 100,000 special edition Blue Peter coin packs were released with a 2009 dated coin – making it the only Olympic 50p without a 2011 date.

In fact, so few of these packs were issued, that it makes this 2009 Athletics Olympic 50p more than twice as rare as the famous Kew Gardens 50p!

The Gold Olympic 50ps

Did you know that a gold version of the coin was presented to the respective artist of each design?

It is without doubt that the gold versions of each 50p remain the rarest of the entire series. But, unfortunately for collectors, obtaining one of these is nearly impossible as only one gold version of each design was presented to the respective winning designer.

Aside from the precious metal content, their unique status and significance rank them as potentially the most valuable UK 50p coins in existence!

Continuing Your Olympic 50p Collection

To the delight of many Olympic 50p collectors, in 2016 The Royal Mint issued a special 50p to wish Team GB success for the Rio Olympic Games.

Team GB 2016 United Kingdom 50p BU Coin UKU01856.

The coin’s obverse features a swimmer with the Team GB logo, the Olympic rings and the inscription ‘TEAM GB’. Designed by Tim Sharp, the coin was officially endorsed by Team GB and celebrated the spirit of British Olympians – a must have for all Olympic 50p Collectors.

But it doesn’t stop there!

Dual-Dated Team GB 50p

Back in 2020, a new Team GB 50p was released as part of the 2020 Annual Coin Set to celebrate Team GB’s participation in the Tokyo Olympic Games.

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the postponement of the Olympic Games to 2021, this 50p was never individually released in 2020…

Excitingly, this meant that there were two versions of the coin – one with the obverse dated 2020 from the 2020 Annual Coin Set and one with the obverse dated 2021 from the coin’s individual release!

This makes the 2021 UK Team GB 50p one of only a small handful of UK 50ps to feature a dual-date – only adding to its collectability!

The Latest Olympic 50p

This year, as we look ahead to the Paris Olympic Games, The Royal Mint has issued a new 50p to celebrate our British Olympians and Paralympians.

On the reverse are 2 geometric athletes in action set against the Union flag. If you look closely, you’ll also see the Eiffel Tower at the bottom, a nod to the city where the games will take place.

This coin has been issued in the 2024 Annual Coin Set and is the first of the UK’s sporting 50ps to feature King Charles III on the obverse.

You can bet that Olympic 50p collectors will eagerly be awaiting the individual release of this new coin, but will you be adding it to your collection? Let us know in the comments below!


Secure the 2024 50p in this year’s Annual Set!

If you can’t wait to get your hands on the 2024 British Olympians and Paralympians 50p, you can add all FIVE new coins to your collection for JUST £42 (+postage), simply click here >>

Each coin has been struck to a superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality and is protectively encapsulated in official Change Checker packaging, housed in a display page ready to slot into your Change Checker Album.

Canada’s King Charles III Coin Effigy Revealed!

More than a year after His Majesty King Charles III was officially proclaimed Head of State and Sovereign of Canada, The Royal Canadian Mint have announced the release of their official King Charles III coin effigy.

The official Canadian King Charles III effigy
Credit: Royal Canadian Mint

The news was shared on the 14th November – making for a wonderful birthday treat for His Majesty, who celebrated his 75th birthday that day.

SELL OUT Canada King Charles III 50 cent Coin Roll

The brand new Canadian effigy of His Majesty features on the 50 cent coin, which has been issued in a highly sought-after special collector’s edition Wrap Roll.

2023 Canada 50 cent Coin Roll
2023 Canada 50 cent Coin Roll

Each of the Wrap Rolls include 25 brand new 2023 dated Canada 50 cent coins, which feature a design of the Canadian Coat of Arms on the reverse and – for the first time in seventy years – a new monarch’s portrait on the obverse.

The first Canadian King Charles III effigy
The first Canadian King Charles III effigy

A Special Presentation

The coins are packaged in special, themed illustrated paper wrapping, featuring the official Royal Canadian Mint logo and a stylised band of Fleur-de-lis – a traditional Royal symbol of Canada.

Special edition themed wrapping
Special edition themed wrapping

You might not have heard of coin rolls before, but they’re a big deal across the pond, and a highly collectable way to own Canadian coins. Previously, Canadian coin rolls have proved incredibly popular with UK collectors, and we’ve even seen sell outs of our initial allocations of these rolls in the past.

2020 Canada Royal Arms 50p cent Roll
2020 Canada Royal Arms 50p cent Roll
2022 Queen Elizabeth II Canadian $2 Wrap Roll
2022 Queen Elizabeth II Canadian $2 Wrap Roll

A Canadian Collecting Frenzy

These Canadian 50 cent Coin Rolls are part of the first wave of Canadian coinage that features the new obverse of King Charles III, so it’s currently the only way to secure them for your collection. There were also only 25,000 rolls available worldwide – making them highly sought-after by collectors. So sought-after in fact, that they SOLD OUT at The Royal Canadian Mint within just four days!

We’ve been lucky enough to secure just 500 Canada 50 cent Wrap Rolls for UK collectors, and once they’re gone, they’re gone! So don’t miss out – add these coins to your collection now for just £29.99 (+£3.99 postage) >>


A Major Change for Canadian Coinage

During her incredible 70 year reign, there have been four different obverse portraits of Queen Elizabeth II used on Canadian coinage. The latest portrait change was in 2003 when Susanna Blunt’s effigy of Her Late Majesty made its way onto Canadian coins.

All four Canadian coin effigies for Queen Elizabeth II, from 1953 to 2023

Considering that the obverse of Canadian coinage hasn’t changed in over 20 years, and the fact that we haven’t seen a King on Canadian coins in 7 decades, the introduction of King Charles III’s effigy is sure to cause a stir in the coin collecting world.

The Process of Creating an Effigy

As you might imagine, there are a lot of steps behind the scenes that go into creating a new effigy…

Canada’s new coin effigy was created from Steven Rosati’s winning design, following an invitation to more than 350 artists and engravers.

Royal Canadian Mint President and CEO Marie Lemay and Canadian artist Steven Rosati unveiling the effigy of His Majesty King Charles III. Credit: Royal Canadian Mint Facebook

The process involved each artist/engraver submitting a portfolio of portrait work to be evaluated. These were then shortlisted before a brief outlining mandatory design requirements was given out.

An internal Mint review panel judged submissions based on aesthetics, technical requirements and mass-production suitability before the winning design was submitted for approval from the government and Buckingham Palace.

Once the design was ready, the Mint could begin the engraving and tooling process – producing dies to strike the coins.

Only 500 available for Change Checkers

Click here to secure your Canada King Charles III 50 cent Coin Roll >>

King Charles III celebrates 75th Birthday with UK £5

2023 has been quite the year for King Charles III. As well as being crowned King on 6th May, His Majesty celebrates his 75th birthday on 14th November 2023.

To celebrate his milestone birthday, The Royal Mint have issued a UK £5 coin featuring a reverse design representing The King’s love of nature.

2023 UK King Charles III 75th Birthday £5 obverse and reverse
2023 UK King Charles III 75th Birthday £5 obverse and reverse

In case you missed it…

You may recognise the King Charles III 75th Birthday £5 from earlier this year, as it was one of 5 commemorative coins issued in the 2023 Annual Coin Set. It’s actually the final coin from the set to be released individually, so now’s the time to secure it if you missed out on the 2023 Annual Set.

2023 Annual Coin Set
2023 Annual Coin Set

A passion for nature

Inspired by King Charles’ passion for nature and conservation, designer Dan Thorne has created a beautiful reverse design on this new UK £5. It includes The King’s royal cypher along with the number 75, all framed within oak leaves and delphiniums. The design was even personally approved by The King himself.

King Charles 75th Birthday £5 in Change Checker card
King Charles 75th Birthday £5 in Change Checker card

It’s not just nature that His Majesty is passionate about, he also has a keen interest in the arts, architecture and supporting disadvantaged young people. In 1976, when he was His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, The King founded The Princes Trust, an organisation committed to improving the life of young people in the UK.

He’s also been an avid campaigner for environmental issues and sustainability, living by the principle that it’s better to work with nature than against it.

A closer look

As well as the main aspects of the design such as the plants, royal cypher and the years 1948-2023, there are a few features on the coin you may not have noticed at first glance.

On closer inspection, we can see a ladybird, 4 bees and a dragonfly hidden within the design – another nod to The King’s love of nature.

Hidden features within the design
Hidden features within the design

New UK Coinage for King Charles III

The King’s love for nature and his passion for conservation is also reflected in the UK’s New Coinage. The 8 brand new coins feature designs themed around British wildlife and conservation, whilst the obverses feature King Charles III and a special privy mark.

New UK Coinage for King Charles III
New UK Coinage for King Charles III

Find out more about the UK’s New Coinage here >>

Secure your 2023 UK King Charles III 75th Birthday £5

Secure your 2023 UK King Charles III 75th Birthday £5 in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £13.99 (+£2.99 postage) >>