Rare 2011 Aquatics 50p coin worth up to £2,000, Digi Mart USA News (United Kingdom): Shoppers are being encouraged to check their change, as a rare 50p coin could be worth as much as £2,000, according to recent estimates from an online coin expert.
The 2011 Aquatics 50p, featuring a swimmer gliding through water, was launched in the build-up to the London 2012 Olympics. Designed by Jonathan Olliffe, the coin originally showed wavy water lines passing over the swimmer’s face.
This early version was quickly amended by The Royal Mint, which removed the lines from the swimmer’s face before producing the main batch of more than 2.1 million coins. Only about 600 of the original “lines over face” coins are believed to have entered circulation, making it one of the rarest 50p pieces in the UK.
The 50p coin has previously sold for £1,500 in Royal Wootton Bassett, according to RWB Auctions, which is based just outside Swindon and has confirmed that these rare coins can sell for more than £1,000.
In a new video published this summer, the coin expert known as @CoinCollectingWizard highlighted the rarity to his 273,000 TikTok followers, saying it could be worth “a small fortune.” The TikToker predicts it could be worth £2,000.
He said: “If you find an aquatic 50p error coin with lines over the face it could be worth a small fortune. A small handful of this original design was put into circulation but it was then adapted very quickly to show the face above the water.
With so few of the original design out there, it’s meant the coins value has been pushed up significantly.”
Speaking about the sale, modern coins specialist Christopher Collects, who works closely with the local auction house, said: “The Aquatics 50p with the lines over the face is about as rare as UK 50p coins get, it blows even the Kew Gardens 50p out of the water. It would be the centerpiece of any 50p coin collection within what is already a really popular set of Olympic coins.”
Owners who believe they may have the rare version are advised not to clean the coin. Instead, they should seek professional authentication, as cleaning could damage the coin and reduce its value.
Other rare 50p coins worth looking out for, as highlighted by @CoinCollectingWizard, include the 2017 Benjamin Bunny rotation error coin, worth £30, and the 2009 Athletics 50p Blue Peter limited edition, worth £250.
