Hockey 50p: Is It Rare or Worth Anything?

The Hockey 50p is a highly collectable coin that forms part of the 29 Olympic coins released to commemorate the London Olympics in 2012, but how much is it worth today?

According to recent average values on eBay in 2022, you can expect to sell a Hockey 50p for £2.10 in circulated condition.

Let’s jump into the details of the coin to see why it is worth well above face value.

Mintage of the Hockey 50p

Using mintage figures alone, the hockey 50p is the 17th rarest in the set of 29 coins. There was a total of 1,773,500 hockey 50p coins minted.

Some of the other Olympic 50p coins include the wheelchair rugby, sailing, or basketball coins.

Additionally, the hockey 50p Olympic coin was minted in:

  • A Specimen in card labeled 16/29
  • Silver Brilliant Uncirculated as 0.925 Silver

The hockey Coin was also minted in two sets with a limited 30,000 but unknown mintage as follows:

  • London 2012 Sports Collection Collector Album
  • London 2012 Silver 50p Silver Sports Collection

Robert Evans received the only Gold Proof FDC 0.917 minting.

Hockey At The Olympics

Summer Olympic hockey is a team sport that is played on a field using a round, hard, plastic hockey ball and sticks. Each team consists of ten players and a goalkeeper. Players attempt to get the ball into the opponent’s goal using the stick while the goalkeeper tries to prevent the opposing team from scoring.

The stick has a long handle with a grip and a splice, and a small curved head that is made up of the shaft, face, toe, and heel. Players are only to make contact with the ball by using the stick.

In the United States and Canada, the summertime hockey sport is called field hockey so as not to confuse it with ice hockey. In Sweden and parts of Norway, it is called landhockey.

Field hockey was first a Summer Olympic sport in 1908 and then again in 1920. In 1924, hockey was removed from the Olympic lineup which led to the forming of the Federation Internationale de Hockey sur Gazon FIH as the international governing body. Hockey was then reinstated in the Olympics in 1928. In 1970, men’s hockey united under the FIH, and there were 22 associations with women’s sections within the FIH.

In the USA, field hockey is mostly played by females. In other countries, the competition is played by both men and women.

The field hockey field consists of a centerline and a 23-meter line and a goal on each side. The dimensions of the field were originally imperial measurements but have since changed to metric as the standard. For international play, a synthetic field surface is used.

A match usually consists of two periods of thirty-five minutes and a halftime interval of five minutes. Some games have four 15-minute quarters with two minutes break in between each quarter and a 15-minute break between the second and third quarters.

The 2012 Summer Olympics hockey event consisted of men’s and women’s tournaments. Each had 12 teams competing.

The games were played at the Riverbank Arena in Olympic Park. The Men’s and Women’s tournaments alternated days starting with the women playing and ending with the men’s finals.

Germany was the winner in the men’s events followed by Netherlands and Australia. The Netherlands won first place in the women’s competition with Argentina taking second place with Great Britain in third.

Olympic Coin Design

The Olympic hockey coin is the shape of the standard 7-sided heptagon 50 pence. The face value of the coin is 0.50 pounds sterling. It consists of a Cupro-nickel alloy with an 8.00g weight, a diameter of 27.3mm, and it is 1.78mm thick.

To pay tribute to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the Royal Mint released 29 special commemorative 50p coins in 2011. Each coin depicted a different sport.

To determine each of the Olympic coin’s reverse side designs, the Royal Mint launched a contest to select the designers of each individual 50p coin. About 30,000 entries were submitted, and 29 designs were chosen.

The Obverse design features the crowned head of Queen Elizabeth II designed by Ian Rank-Broadley whose initials IRB can be seen under the Queen’s neckline. Surrounding her portrait are the words ELIZABETH II * D * G * REG * F * D * 2011.

The edge is plain with no inscription.

Reverse Side Design of the Hockey 50 Pence Coin

The coin features two female hockey players trying to hit the ball with their sticks. They are both challenging for the ball as they face to the right. There is a horizontal line centred on the back of the coin behind the hockey players.

Hockey 50p Coin

The Olympic logo designed by Wolff Olins consultancy firm is seen at the top of the coin’s reverse side. Centred at the bottom of the coin, and slightly curved upward, are the words 50 PENCE.

Information About the Designer

Each of the 29 Olympic 50p coins was designed by individuals who were the winners of a contest to determine who the Royal Mint would use for each coin. The hockey Olympic 50p coin was designed by Robert Evans.

He was interested in entering the design competition because he had a lifelong interest in athletics. He designed a few different sports that he entered, but hockey was one that appealed to him because of the action of the game. As inspiration, he visited a university to take pictures of two international hockey players in their gymnasium.

Unlike most of the Olympic 50p coin design winners, Robert Evans actually worked for the Royal Mint. He was born in Cardiff, Wales, and attended Cardiff College of Art before securing work with the Royal Mint. He worked his way up to become a senior sculptor/engraver. His designs have been featured on coins as well as medals all around the globe.

Some of his other designs can be seen on the following coins:

  • UK, £2 2001 centenary of the first transatlantic coin that commemorates the radio message by Guglielmo Marconi.
  • UK, £2, 2006 coin to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
  • Jersey, £1, 1991 The “Percy Douglas” coin depicting Jersey ships of the 19th century.
  • Jersey, £1, 1992 The “Hebe” coin
  • Jersey, £1, 1993, The “Gemini” coin
  • Jersey, £1, 1994, The “Resolute” coin
  • Jersey, £1, 1991, The “Tickler” coin
  • Jersey, £1, 1993, The “Century” coin
  • A 2011 Uruguay wildlife set series
  • Jersey, 5 Pounds, 2002, Yeomen of the Guard and the Maids of Honour coin to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
  • Guernsey, 5 Pounds, 2002 Golden Jubilee coin of Queen Elizabeth II inside the Gold State Coach
  • Guernsey, 5 Pounds, 2003 Trooping the Colour coin
  • Bermuda, 5 Dollars, 2003, Visit of Her Majesty the Queen to Bermuda commemorative coin

Where You Can Buy The hockey 50p Coin

Shopping online through sites like eBay is a fast and easy way to find collectable coins. The average selling price on eBay is £1.99 for this coin, so be wary of this when making any offers.

Of course, always be sure to read the description carefully before buying so you know exactly what you are getting. You cannot hold the coin in your hands to examine it when you are buying online. So, don’t be afraid to ask the seller questions before you buy. Online purchases will rely on trusting a reputable seller.

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