2021 Team GB 50p
The 2021 Team GB 50p is a Royal Mint collector issue that was never released into circulation. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2021
- Issued as
- Collector packs and sets only
- Value band
- Small premium
- Designer
- David Knapton
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 2021 Team GB 50p worth?
This design was never released into circulation. The Royal Mint sold it in brilliant uncirculated packs and annual sets, so almost every example is a collector piece. One found in change is still legal tender at 50 pence; out of its pack it brings a small premium at most, while a coin still sealed in its original packaging is what collectors want.
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 2021 Team GB 50p rare?
- It is scarcer than most 50p coins. It was never issued into circulation, so most examples are in collector packs.
- How many 2021 Team GB 50p coins were made?
- None were made for circulation. The Mint sold this design only in packs and sets.
- Who designed the 2021 Team GB 50p?
- The design is credited to David Knapton.
- What is the 2021 Team GB 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 2021 Team GB 50p still legal tender?
- Yes. Every 27.3 mm 50p, including commemoratives, is legal tender in the UK.
Why the 2021 Team GB 50p was made
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were due to open in the summer of 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed them back a full year. They finally took place in 2021 while keeping the Tokyo 2020 name. The Royal Mint issued a Team GB 50p to support the British team. Because of the delay, some examples carry a 2020 date while others are dated 2021, which confuses plenty of people who find one. The British team went on to compete in Tokyo in the summer of 2021.
This coin was not issued into circulation. It was sold as a brilliant uncirculated coin in packs aimed at sports fans and collectors. So if a Team GB 50p turns up among your coins, someone bought it in a pack and spent it later. It is legal tender worth 50p, but unlike the London 2012 Olympic 50ps, which were released into change by the million, this one was never sent to banks. The chance of finding one in your purse is small, much smaller than for any of the 2011 sports coins.
How to recognize it
David Knapton designed the reverse, which shows sports equipment used at the 2020 Summer Olympics arranged as a group. The obverse carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, with either a 2020 or a 2021 date depending on the version. It is easy to confuse with the London 2012 Olympic 50ps, which each show a single sport and are dated 2011. If your coin shows several pieces of equipment together and is dated 2020 or 2021, it is this Team GB coin. Read the date carefully, since both years are genuine. It is struck on the standard seven-sided cupronickel blank with a plain edge.
The other side carries Jody Clark's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, introduced in 2015 and the last of her reign.
2021 Team GB 50p by the numbers
No circulation mintage exists for the 2021 Team GB 50p because none were released to banks. The Royal Mint's other collector-only 50p coins dated 2021 were John Logie Baird, Decimalisation, Dinosauria, Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Charles Babbage, Winnie the Pooh: Owl, Insulin, The Snowman and Winnie the Pooh: Tigger.
No commemorative 50p dated 2021 was released for circulation, which is why so many people hunting change for new designs never see this one.
What to check on your 2021 Team GB 50p
- Confirm the design. The reverse should match the Team GB described above and carry the date 2021; 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.
The Team GB 50p is popular with sports fans and with collectors who keep Olympic coins. It had no circulation mintage, which separates it from the 2011 Olympic 50ps found in change. Either date in an unopened pack carries a collector premium. A coin from change usually shows wear on the equipment and scratches in the field, leaving it near face value or a small premium. Pack coins have bright, even luster and sharp edges on each item, while a spent coin looks flat and gray with rim knocks. Note which date you have when you set it aside.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 pence |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 2021 |
| Circulation mintage | None (collector issue) |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.0 g |
| Diameter | 27.3 mm |
| Shape | Seven-sided (equilateral curve heptagon) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | David Knapton |
| Portrait | Clark |
Other 2021 50p coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 John Logie Baird 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2021 Decimalisation 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2021 Dinosauria 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2021 Winnie the Pooh and Friends 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2021 Charles Babbage 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2021 Winnie the Pooh: Owl 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2021 Insulin 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2021 Snowman 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
| 2021 Winnie the Pooh: Tigger 50p | Collector issue | Small premium |
Frequently asked questions
Why do some Team GB 50p coins say 2020?
The Tokyo Olympics were postponed from 2020 to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some Team GB 50ps carry a 2020 date and others 2021. Both versions were sold only in packs.
Is the Team GB 50p the same as the 2012 Olympic 50ps?
No. The 2011 Olympic 50ps each showed one sport and were issued into circulation. The Team GB coin shows a group of sports equipment and was sold only in brilliant uncirculated packs.
Mintage figures: Fifty pence (British coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.