Celebrate the energy and excitement of Olympic basketball with the 2011 UK Basketball 50p coin, issued as part of the London 2012 Olympic Games series. One of 29 designs released to mark the Games, this coin captures the fast-paced nature and teamwork at the heart of the sport.

The reverse design was created by Sarah Payne and selected from more than 30,000 public submissions. Her design features four basketball players in motion, each shown in a different phase of play, bringing a strong sense of movement to the coin. The background is textured to resemble the surface of a basketball, a subtle but effective detail that immediately identifies the sport and adds depth to the design.

Above the scene sits the London 2012 Olympic logo, with the denomination ‘50 PENCE’ below. The composition is both dynamic and balanced, making it a distinctive addition to the Olympic 50p collection.

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 1,748,000, the Basketball 50p is a popular addition for collectors building the London 2012 series. Issued in 2011, it forms part of a celebrated collection that brought Olympic sport into everyday life, offering a lasting reminder of a remarkable summer of sport.

*Image is representative of the coin you will receive 

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