Celebrate the spirit of athletics with the 2011 UK Athletics 50p coin, issued as part of the London 2012 Olympic Games series. Athletics lies at the heart of the Olympic Games, and this coin captures the excitement and inspiration of track and field competition.

The reverse design is particularly special, created by nine-year-old Florence Jackson after winning a nationwide Blue Peter competition. Selected from more than 17,000 entries, her design makes history as the first UK coin to be designed by a child. It features a high jumper clearing the bar, drawn in a simple and expressive style that reflects both the energy of the sport and the creativity behind the competition.

Above the design sits the London 2012 Olympic logo, with the denomination ‘50 PENCE’ below. The youthful and distinctive style sets this coin apart within the series, making it especially appealing to collectors.

The obverse features the fourth portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, shown wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, a familiar effigy on UK coinage.

Struck in cupro-nickel to standard 50p specifications, the coin weighs 8 grams and measures 27.30 millimetres in diameter. It features the characteristic seven-sided shape and a plain edge.

With a circulating mintage of 2,224,000, the Athletics 50p is a popular addition to the London 2012 collection. First issued for circulation in 2011, it forms part of a celebrated series that brought Olympic sport into everyday life, offering a lasting reminder of a Games that inspired a generation.

*Image is representative of the coin you will receive 

**Struck for general circulation and subsequently acquired by The Royal Mint from the secondary market.