2011 Olympic Aquatics 50p coin with lines over face, Digi Mart USA News: Households are being urged to check their loose change for a 50p coin that could be worth a substantial sum. A rare version of the coin is reported to hold a value of up to £2,000, and it remains a major talking point among collectors who are eager to find one.
The coin in question was first released around 15 years ago. A TikTok user known as @CoinCollectingWizard, who has more than 273,500 followers, shared information about the 2011 Aquatics 50p coin, saying: “Look out for this 50p as there is a rare version worth all this money.”
The coin was one of 29 released for the London Games. According to the expert, the key detail is the swimmer’s face.
The rare version features wavy water lines going over the swimmer’s face, a feature known as the “lines over face error.”
The expert said the error was quickly corrected, which made the first few releases very limited. He stated that one of these coins sold for more than £2,000 in a private sale, adding: “That’s a 50p coin turning into a holiday, a new laptop or half a car.” He also cautioned that the regular version is worth only 50p and that the swimming lines over the swimmer’s face are what distinguish the rarer coin.
According to the report, only about 600 of the “lines over face” coins are believed to have been made before The Royal Mint changed the design. RWB Auctions said it is more accurate to describe the change as a design “tweak” rather than an “error.” The auction house stated that these 2011-dated coins regularly sell for more than £1,000.
In 2024, RWB sold an example for £1,500.
The 2011 coin was released as part of the 2012 London Olympics collection. The redesigned Aquatics 50p, on which the swimmer’s face is visible, is very common and is reported to be worth around £2 to £5.
Collectors are therefore advised to look specifically for the lines over the swimmer’s face before assuming a coin is valuable.
