2011 Olympic Judo 50p
The 2011 Olympic Judo 50p is a circulating 50p with 1.16 million made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2011
- Circulation mintage
- 1,161,500
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel)
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 2011 Olympic Judo 50p worth?
At 1.16 million, the 2011 Olympic Judo 50p has a smaller run than most 50p coins, so collectors pay a small premium for it, especially in uncirculated condition. Well circulated examples sit close to face value.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with no scratches or contact marks
- Original Royal Mint pack or presentation folder
- A genuine mint error, confirmed by an expert
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 2011 Olympic Judo 50p rare?
- It is scarcer than most 50p coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 2011 Olympic Judo 50p coins were made?
- 1,161,500 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2011 Olympic Judo 50p made of?
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). It weighs 8.0 g and measures 27.3 mm, with a seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) shape.
- Is the 2011 Olympic Judo 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2011 Olympic Judo 50p was made
Judo was founded in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano, who adapted older jujutsu techniques into a system built on balance, leverage and control. The name means "the gentle way", though anyone who has been thrown flat on a mat might argue the point. Men's judo made its Olympic debut at Tokyo in 1964 and women's events followed in 1992. A perfect throw scores ippon and ends the contest at once. At London 2012 Gemma Gibbons won silver and Karina Bryant won bronze, the first British judo medals since 2000.
Judo's coin was struck for the Royal Mint's series of 29 designs marking London 2012, each one picked from the public design competition held in 2009. The coins were released into circulation through 2011 and 2012. Judo ended up with the third lowest mintage of the whole set, behind only Football and Wrestling, so it is one of the four designs that people completing the series tend to search for longest. Martial arts fans also tend to keep one aside.
How to recognize it
The reverse shows a judo throw in progress, with one competitor lifting and turning the other over in a single flowing movement. The two figures interlock, so you'll need to look closely to see where one ends and the other begins. Wear shows first where the two figures overlap at the highest point. Comparing it with Wrestling, the other grappling design among the four low mintage coins, is the surest way to tell the two apart. The reverse also carries the London 2012 emblem, the mark of the series. On the obverse is Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the date 2011. It is a normal seven-sided 50p, 27.3 mm across with a plain edge.
The other side carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1998 to 2015.
2011 Olympic Judo 50p by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 2011 Olympic Judo 50p ranks 5th lowest of 76 circulating 50p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2011 Olympic Wrestling 50p (1.13 million); the next more common is the 2011 Olympic Triathlon 50p (1.16 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1973 EEC Hands 50p with 89.8 million, about 77 times as many. The scarcest is the 1992 Single Market 50p with 109,000, 11 times fewer than this one.
2011 brought 29 other circulating 50p designs, from the Olympic Football (1.13 million) up to the WWF (3.4 million). 2 of them had a smaller run.
Within the 2011 Olympic and Paralympic set of 29, it ranks 3rd scarcest, behind the Football and Wrestling.
What to check on your 2011 Olympic Judo 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the Olympic Judo described above and carry the date 2011; similar designs from other years are a common mix-up.
- Weigh it if you can: a genuine 27.3 mm 50p weighs 8.0 g. Copies are often light, slightly soft in detail or the wrong color.
- Ignore painted or colored versions sold online as special editions. Color added after the coin left the Mint does not make it a Royal Mint issue and does not add collector value.
- Look at the surfaces under a bright light. Coins straight from a pack have unbroken luster; change-worn coins show scuffs on the high points of the portrait and design.
With 1,161,500 struck for circulation, Judo has the third lowest mintage in the Olympic series, sitting just below Triathlon. Together with Football and Wrestling, these are the four designs around the 1.1 million mark that collectors most want. A circulated Judo 50p usually carries a small premium over face value, more for one in sharp condition. The Royal Mint also sold the design in collector packs. Those have bright luster and crisp detail on the figures, while coins from change show flattened high points and scuffs in the field.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2011 |
| Circulation mintage | 1,161,500 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.0 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Other 2011 50p coins
Frequently asked questions
Is the Judo 50p one of the rare ones?
Yes, by the standards of the Olympic series. With 1,161,500 struck for circulation it has the third lowest mintage of the 29 designs. It isn't a great rarity, but it is one of the four coins collectors hunt hardest.
What does the Judo 50p show?
It shows two judo competitors in the middle of a throw, one turning the other over, along with the London 2012 emblem. On the other side is Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of the Queen, dated 2011.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.