The Offside 50p, introduced as part of the 2011 Olympic 50p coins, is one of the rarest 50p coins you can still find in your change today – but how much is it worth?
According to average values in 2022 on eBay, the Offside 50p sells for around £13.60, not including postage and packaging.
Let’s take a look at why the average value is so high, as well as other factors that contribute to the value of the Offside 50p.
How Rare is the Offside 50 Pence Coin
The Offside 50p coin is very scarce. The coin is considered to be the rarest coin of the twenty-nine 2011 Olympic 50p coins that were issued to commemorate the 2012 London Olympics. It is also considered to be the rarest 50p coin minted following the Kew Gardens coin.
Mintage of the Offside 50 Pence Coin
The total mintage of the Offside 50 Pence Coin was about 1.1 million at 1,125,500.
The Offside 50p was also released in collectable versions for which the specifications can be found below:
- A joint release of the coin with the Royal Mail’s special football stamp on a commemorative envelope.
- A 29-coin set called London 2012 Sports Collection Collector Album with an unknown mintage.
- Silver Brilliant Uncirculated 0.925 Silver with a mintage limit of 30,000 in a 29-coin set called London 2012 Silver 50p Sports Collection.
- Gold Proof FDC 0.917 Gold with one issued and presented to the artist.
Controversy Of The Offside 50p Coin
To pay tribute to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the Royal Mint released 29 coins in 2011. Each coin depicted a different sport, including Wrestling and others.
The Football 50p coin is better known as the Offside Rule 50p.
It caused a huge uproar when sports fans and refereeing experts had issues with the diagram. The claim was that the coin was reflecting out-of-date information.
The designer of the coin refuted the claims by stating that he was only trying to show what an offside position was. He was not attempting to explain the details of the rule. This coin features the very hotly debated Offside rule.
The rule basically states that a player is in an offside position if any of their body parts, except hands and arms, are in the opponents’ half of the pitch and closer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent, usually the goalkeeper.
However, being in the offside position is not an offense in and of itself. A player positioned when the ball is played by a team-mate can be judged guilty of an offside offense by the referee if he or she receives the ball or becomes involved in active play, will interfere with an opponent, or will gain an advantage by being in that position.
The Mexican football team took the Gold medal for the men’s tournament. The American Football team won the Gold for the women’s. There were about 2,186,150 spectators for the tournament with an average of 37,692 in attendance for each game.
The designer of this special 50p coin did not mean to stir up a controversy. The coin’s design simply demonstrates an offside position not necessarily resulting in an offside offense. Because the coin only allows so much space to reveal the design, it was impossible to include all the details involved in an offside rule.
Design of the 2011 Offside 50p
This coin was designed to celebrate the Offside rule and is part of the special Olympic coins minted. It consists of a Cupro-nickel alloy with an 8.00g weight, a diameter of 27.3mm, and it is 1.78mm thick.
The Obverse design is that of a mature crowned head of Queen Elizabeth II designed by Ian Rank-Broadley. The image features Her Majesty facing right and wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland diamond tiara. The tiara had been a wedding gift from Queen Mary, her grandmother, in 1947. She is seen wearing this tiara in the Machin and Gottwald portraits as well.
In this version, her mature head is crowned and facing right. Surrounding her portrait are the words ELIZABETH II * D * G * REG * F * D * 2011 which is abbreviated from Dei Gratia Regina meaning Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith. Small letters just below her head are the signature mark of the artist, Ian Rank-Broadley, IRB.
The edge is plain with no inscription.
The reverse side features an image of the London 2012 logo positioned above a diagrammatic explanation of the Offside rule in football. At the bottom of the reverse side of the coin are the words 50 PENCE. The coin’s design shows a midfielder making a decision to pass to either one teammate on the left listed as offside or the other teammate that’s on a level with the defender listed as not offside.
The reverse image was designed by Neil Wolfson. Neil Wolfson was a sports journalist who chose an image that he felt best represented the Offside rule. The 2012 Summer Olympics logo seen at the top of the coin’s reverse side was designed by Wolff Olins consultancy firm.
Where You Can Buy The Offside 50p Coin
One of the fastest and easiest ways to shop for coins is online. The average selling price on eBay is £12.64 for this specific profile of the 2011 Offside 50p coin
