United Kingdom (Great Britain) Elizabeth II 50 Pence

History

50 Pence 2011, KM# 1173, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Elizabeth II, London 2012 Summer Olympics, Triathlon

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.

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 Olympic emblem, Triathlon, Cycling A montage of the three sports which form the triathlon, with the London 2012 logo above and the denomination, "50 PENCE", below. The triathlon events at the 2012 Summer Olympics were held in Hyde Park in London, United Kingdom, with the women's triathlon held on 4 August and the men's on 7 August. 110 triathletes from 39 countries competed with 55 men and 55 women competing. A triathlon is a multiple-stage competition involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance disciplines. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall course completion time, including timed "transitions" between the individual swim, cycle, and run components. The word "triathlon" is of Greek origin from τρεῖς or treis ("three") and ἆθλος or athlos ("competition"). 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: Sarah Harvey 2012 london 50 PENCE
Edge	Plain