United Kingdom (Great Britain) Elizabeth II 50 Pence

History

50 Pence 2009-2011, KM# 1150, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Elizabeth II, London 2012 Summer Olympics, Athletics

50 Pence 2009-2011, KM# 1150, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Elizabeth II, London 2012 Summer Olympics, Athletics, Blue Peter presentation pack

Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com

Description

The 2012 Summer Olympics, formally the Games of the XXX Olympiad and commonly known as London 2012, took place in London and to a lesser extent across the United Kingdom from 25 July to 12 August 2012. During the Games, Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, winning his 22nd medal. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Brunei entered female athletes for the first time, so that every currently eligible country has sent a female competitor to at least one Olympic Games. Women's boxing was included for the first time, thus the Games became the first at which every sport had female competitors. The final medal tally was led by the United States, followed by China and host Great Britain.

Nine-year-old Florence Jackson from Bristol, the designer of the Athletics 50p coin, is the first ever child to design a Royal Mint UK coin. She beat 17,000 other entries to win a BBC One Blue Peter competition. When the competition winner was revealed, a special edition Blue Peter presentation pack was issued with a 2009 dated coin, making it the only Olympic 50p without a 2011 date. The coin was finally issued for circulation two years later with an obverse date of 2011 as part of the 29-piece set struck to commemorate the Summer Olympics, London 2012.

Obverse	Crown, jewelry Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara Person (king, queen, tsar etc.) Elizabeth II Fourth crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was a wedding present in 1947 from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland in 1893 on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later George V. Made by E. Wolfe & Co., it was purchased from Garrard & Co. by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1914, Mary adapted the tiara to take 13 diamonds in place of the large oriental pearls surmounting the tiara. At first, Elizabeth wore the tiara without its base and pearls but the base was reattached in 1969. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of Elizabeth's most recognisable pieces of jewellery due to its widespread use on British banknotes and coinage. ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FIDEI DEFENSATRIX means Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen and Defender of the Faith. Engraver: Ian Rank-Broadley ELIZABETH·II·D·G· REG F·D· 2011 IRB
Reverse	Sport, Olympics High jumper, Olympic emblem Child's drawing of an athlete clearing a high jump bar, with the London 2012 logo above and the denomination, "50 PENCE", below. The athletics competitions at the 2012 Olympic Games in London were held during the last 10 days of the Games, on 3–12 August. Track and field events took place at the Olympic Stadium in east London. The road events, however, started and finished on The Mall in central London. Over 2,000 athletes from 201 nations competed in 47 events in total, with both men and women having a very similar schedule of events. Men competed in 24 events and women in 23, of which 21 were the same for both. The women's schedule lacked the 50 km race walk and included 100 m hurdles and heptathlon as opposed to the men's 110 m hurdles and decathlon. South African Oscar Pistorius became the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics. The London 2012 Summer Olympics logo is four abstract shapes placed in a quadrant formation spelling out "2012". The word "London" is written in the shape representing the "2", while the Olympic rings are placed in the shape representing the "0". Engraver: Florence Jackson 2012 london 50 PENCE
Edge	Plain