2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow 50p
The 2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow 50p is a circulating 50p with 6.5 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2014
- Circulation mintage
- 6,500,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- Alex Loudon and Dan Flashman
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 2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow 50p worth?
6.5 million were made, so the 2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow 50p is easy to find. A circulated one is worth face value; collectors pay a little more only for uncirculated coins and coins still in their original Royal Mint pack.
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 2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow 50p rare?
- No. 6.5 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow 50p coins were made?
- 6,500,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow 50p?
- The design is credited to Alex Loudon and Dan Flashman.
- What is the 2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow 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 2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow 50p was made
Glasgow hosted the Commonwealth Games from 23 July to 3 August 2014, with athletes from across the Commonwealth competing in sports from swimming and athletics to netball and lawn bowls. It was the biggest multi-sport event ever held in Scotland. Celtic Park staged the opening ceremony, Hampden Park was converted for athletics and the new Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome hosted track cycling. Teams from 71 nations and territories took part. Glasgow had won the right to host the Games in 2007, beating a bid from Abuja in Nigeria. Scotland enjoyed its best ever medal haul at a Commonwealth Games.
The Royal Mint issued a 50p to mark the Games, designed by Alex Loudon and Dan Flashman. The circulation mintage came to 6,500,000. Its sporting theme follows on from the 29 Olympic sports 50ps dated 2011 and like them it puts the athletes front and center. Cycling and running were natural choices, since both featured strongly in Glasgow. The Scottish flag ties the coin firmly to the host nation. For collectors in Scotland in particular, it is one of the best loved modern designs.
How to recognize it
A cyclist and a runner face across the reverse, separated by the saltire, the diagonal cross of the Flag of Scotland. Both athletes are drawn in a dynamic, stylized way that suggests speed. Two sports, one flag and a Scottish setting are the keys to identifying it. Turn it over for Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of the Queen and the year 2014. The coin is the 27.3 mm size, with a plain edge. Don't confuse it with the 2011 Olympic cycling or athletics 50ps, which each show a single sport and no saltire. Alex Loudon and Dan Flashman created the design together.
The other side carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used from 1998 to 2015.
2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow 50p by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow 50p ranks 51st lowest of 76 circulating 50p coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2016 Team GB 50p (6.4 million); the next more common is the 2016 Battle of Hastings 50p (6.7 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1973 EEC Hands 50p with 89.8 million, about 14 times as many. The scarcest is the 1992 Single Market 50p with 109,000, 60 times fewer than this one.
It was the only circulating commemorative 50p dated 2014. The regular Royal Shield reverse accounted for another 49 million that year.
What to check on your 2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the Commonwealth Games Glasgow described above and carry the date 2014; 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.
At 6.5 million, the Glasgow coin has an ordinary mintage, so worn examples sit at face value. It's popular with sports fans and people in Scotland and it makes a good companion to the 2011 Olympic set. Detail on the athletes is fine and wears quickly at the high points, especially the heads and the cyclist's wheels. Look for clean lines in the saltire and a bright, scratch-free field for the best example. A coin from change will usually show some rubbing across both figures.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2014 |
| Circulation mintage | 6,500,000 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.0 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Alex Loudon and Dan Flashman |
| Portrait | Rank-Broadley |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Commonwealth Games 50p rare?
Not really. The Royal Mint struck 6,500,000 for circulation in 2014, an ordinary figure for a commemorative 50p. You can still find it in change and only sharp uncirculated examples attract much interest from collectors.
What is on the Commonwealth Games 50p?
It shows a cyclist and a runner separated by the saltire, the cross from the Flag of Scotland. The design marks the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and was created by Alex Loudon and Dan Flashman.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.