UK Olympic 50p series

[FosseWay]

I normally don't buy Unc/BU circulation coins from the Royal Mint, preferring the thrill of the chase by looking out for them in circulation. But I've made an exception for the Olympic 50 pences because I predict that most of them will be virtually unfindable in circulation. 'Normal' commemoratives that are issued for a whole year are often as rare as hen's teeth (think Suffragettes, Commonwealth Games £2s etc.), so how likely are we to come across any of these, never mind all 29?

Anyway, enough justification for breaking my principles... I've just received all 29 in the post from the Mint, and was rather surprised to see that they're all dated 2011. I had been expecting the first ones to be 2010, and probably the last several 2012. Does this mean that we (theoretically) will find 2011-dated coins in circulation this year? The Mint has been vocal in promoting the series and that we can expect to see them in circulation from about now, so I presume so.

Is this a first? (To clarify, I mean circulation coins. I know that proof and BU sets for the next year are manufactured in time for the Christmas before.)

[FosseWay]

These are definitely only dated 2011 (apart from the 2012 logo, of course). I take your point about the sets, but my question was more about the circulation versions, which the Mint swears blind are in circulation around now...

I don't suppose any of us will actually find one this year, though!

[andyg]

These are definitely only dated 2011 (apart from the 2012 logo, of course). I take your point about the sets, but my question was more about the circulation versions, which the Mint swears blind are in circulation around now...

I don't suppose any of us will actually find one this year, though!

The best place to find out is Ebay - they will start appearing once issued,
usually listed as "Mega Rare 50p LQQK"

Next March the mint will update its mintage figures here

My source for the 2010 Guides 50p is confident of getting these in Unc, but as yet I have no timescales.

[paddyirish]

So Fosseway, was the Blue Peter High Jump Coin in the set and dated 2011? That was released as a one off UNC dated 2009, so will be unusual if it has 2 different dates...

[FosseWay]

No, there's no highjump coin -- the series (numbered in alphabetical order) goes from 'Handball' to 'Hockey'.

[Bimat]

The Royal Mint page mentions that:

Quote

The sports represented on the coins are Aquatics, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boccia, Boxing, Canoeing, Cycling, Equestrian, Fencing, Football, Goalball, Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Modern Pentathlon, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wheelchair Rugby and Wrestling.

Unquote

The complete set costs £85 (+shipping)

Aditya

[andyg]

So Fosseway, was the Blue Peter High Jump Coin in the set and dated 2011? That was released as a one off UNC dated 2009, so will be unusual if it has 2 different dates...

No there is no high-jump coin - it's athletics (but it depicts a high jumper!)

Dated 2011 just like the rest of them, the 2009 Blue Peter issue was the first NCLT 50p.
I wonder if we could have a 50p issue to celebrate the first NCLT 50p?

[paddyirish]

yep Andy, that's the one - I have a 2009 obverse for that one and it's still on sale at the Royal Mint website.

http://www.royalmint.com/store/BritishBase/LUK50PBP.aspx

The official name is  "Athletics" ...

[FosseWay]

Oh yes -- it's the same, so it is! I hadn't noticed that... Is that only the second time that the same commemorative has been issued with two different dates? (The other being the Millennium £5, dated 1999 and 2000 on the Queen's head side, as well as both simultaneously on the reverse).

[hercy]

Oh yes -- it's the same, so it is! I hadn't noticed that... Is that only the second time that the same commemorative has been issued with two different dates? (The other being the Millennium £5, dated 1999 and 2000 on the Queen's head side, as well as both simultaneously on the reverse).

Similar to what happened in 1992 and 1993 with the EEC 50p when the coin covered the 2 years

[chrisild]

That High Jump coin I got too when it was first issued. The others ... well, there are too many to "digest" for me. But one piece I absolutely have to get: the Football 50p coin. It does not show what one would expect (a ball, a goal or a player maybe) but explains one of the biggest mysteries of football: How the heck does that offside rule work?

The attached image is a screenshot from a short movie at the Royal Mint website. It shows the coin and the designer Neil Wolfson (a journalist). Look here http://www.royalmint.com/sportscollection/site/page2.aspx#football for more info.

Christian

[Figleaf]

I don't give a flute how the rule works but that is a gotta have conversion piece.

Peter

[bagerap]

Yesterday, from the Post Office:



I hadn't appreciated that they would be post dated

[Figleaf]

Thanks, Bagerap. Glad to hear they do circulate.

Peter

[FosseWay]

Interesting to note that they've reverted to the obverse used for the Britannia 50p from 1998 to 2008, in that the bottom tip of the Queen's neck points to a side rather than an angle of the edge. The Dent 50p has it pointing to an angle. I've been checking all the Dent 50ps I've had in change (not many) in case any have slipped out with the wrong obverse -- on the face of it, a far more likely error than the 20p mule, as it's more subtle and harder to spot. Having the Olympics 50ps aligned one way and the Dent ones another seems to be a recipe for error. (I'm at work at the moment and don't have a 2009/10 Kew or Guides 50p to see which way they jump, so to speak, but I suspect they're the same as the Olympic coins, too.)