The weightlifting 50p is worth around £2.32 according to eBay in 2022, but what makes it worth so much above face value?
Let’s take a look at the mintage of the coin, as well as the design and commemoration, to see why it is worth so much.
Mintage of the Weightlifting 50p Coin
The Weightlifting 50p is considered to be the 18th rarest in the set of 29 coins when you look at mintage numbers alone.
There were slightly less than two million Weightlifting 50p coins minted with a total of 1,878,500, which is comparable to other Olympic coins such as the Hockey and Wheelchair Rugby coins.
The Weightlifting 50p Olympic coin was also minted as a Specimen in Card labelled 27/29. Additionally, the coin was also minted in a Silver Brilliant Uncirculated 0.925 Silver variety.
Two sets that included the Weightlifting Coin were minted as follows:
- London 2012 Sports Collection Collector Album that included all 29 coins with a mintage unknown
- London 2012 Silver 50p Silver Sports Collection that included all 29 coins in 0.925 Silver with a limit of 30,000, but the mintage is unknown
One unique Gold Proof FDC 0.917 Gold was presented to the artist, Rob Shakespeare.
Weightlifting at the Olympics
This sport’s name describes it well. Basically, weightlifting involves lifting weights. However, at the Olympic level, it is a little more complicated.
Weightlifting is a sport that consists of:
- Olympic weightlifting
- Powerlifting
- Weight training
Olympic weightlifting is, as the name implies, a sport that involves lifting weights that are attached to the ends of a barbell. The athlete must lift the barbell over his or her head using the snatch and clean-and-jerk styles of lifts.
The weightlifting event at the 2012 Summer London Olympics consisted of 15 events where 260 athletes competed. The men had 8 different weight categories, and the women had 7 different weight categories.
The competitions were held at ExCeL London from July 28 through August 7, 2012. There was a total of 156 men and 104 women who took part in the following events:
- 56 kg Men
- 62 kg Men
- 69 kg Men
- 77 kg Men
- 85 kg Men
- 94 kg Men
- 105 kg Men
- +105 kg Men
- 48 kg Women
- 53 kg Women
- 58 kg Women
- 63 kg Women
- 69 kg Women
- 75 kg Women
- +75 kg Women
China led the competition with five gold medals and two silver. Not far behind were Iran and North Korea with Iran taking home three gold medals and two silvers, and North Korea winning three Gold medals and two Bronze.
Reverse Side Design
The Weightlifting 50p coin features a weightlifter in the start position of a lift. The image is done in a simple sketch outline style. The athlete is squatted and preparing to lift the barbell with one hand seen on the bar.
In keeping with the 50p Olympic series, the Olympic logo is positioned at the top and centre of the reverse side. The logo was designed by Wolff Olins consultancy firm and was met with a lot of disapproval when it was first revealed because of its abstract, geometric shapes forming the 2012 marking. However, on the Weightlifting coin, the simplistic sketch-like outline of the athlete seems to complement the logo design nicely.
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 illustrated by individual designers who were the winners of a contest to determine who the Royal Mint would use for each coin. The Weightlifting Olympic 50p coin was designed by Rob Shakespeare.
Rob Shakespeare, a police officer from Manchester, was simply looking through the newspaper when he saw that the Royal Mint was searching for the next designers for their Olympic coins. He thought he would give it a go.
He chose Weightlifting because he has always been interested in the sport. He has also lifted weights himself at the gym and has personally enjoyed bodybuilding and wrestling. So, everything about the sport was very familiar to him.
He could have designed the image featuring a weightlifter victoriously lifting a barbell over their head. But, Rob had another idea. Rob decided to depict the weightlifter in the start position as opposed to a weightlifter lifting weights over their head because he wanted to do something different.
The image is drawn in a simplistic outline sketch style. He felt more confident in creating a sketch rather than providing a detailed drawing because he doesn’t feel like he was the best at drawing.
Where You Can Buy The Weightlifting 50p Coin
Shopping online at eBay is a very easy and quick way to find collectable coins. The average selling price on eBay is £2.25 for this coin, but you’ll find a wide variety of prices on the platform.
As always, be sure to read the description carefully before buying any coin online, so you know exactly what you are getting.
