Here’s where the plot thickens. To get the full set of 29 coins, you need to find the right ones. But there’s a legend. Not all 50p coins are equal. Some are as common as cat videos. Some are rarer than a politician keeping a promise. The rarest of all? The Aquatics coin with the “drowning man”? Nope. It’s the Kew Gardens 50p from 2009.
Full Olympic Set 50p Coin With Album - 29 Circulated Coins
Wait, what? That’s not an Olympic coin! You’re right. But every collector knows: you don’t have a full set of British coins without the Kew Gardens pagoda coin. It’s the golden ticket. Only 210,000 were minted. Compare that to the Triathlon coin, of which there are millions. If you find a Kew Gardens 50p in your change, sell your car. It’s worth £150 to £200. That’s 400 times its face value. A 50p that buys you a night out? Unheard of.
But for the Olympic set itself, the rarities are the Football coin (the one with the big net) and the Wrestling coin (two blobs hugging angrily). They made fewer of those. A full set in a mint condition folder can sell for £30 to £60 today. That’s not “buy a house” money, but it’s “buy a very fancy curry and a pint” money.
How to Get the Full Set Without Losing Your Mind
Option one: become a goblin. Spend every waking hour counting change. Peek into vending machines. Fight pensioners for special edition bags at the Post Office. Do not recommend. You’ll end up with a mountain of worthless 2012 “Happy Birthday” coins and a twitch in your eye.
Option two: go online. Sites like eBay or specialist coin dealers will sell you the whole set in a fancy cardboard folder for about £40. Yes, you pay a markup. But you avoid the shame of asking your bank teller, “Do you have any coins that look like a javelin thrower having a seizure?” They do. They don’t want to give them to you.
50p Coins London 2012 Olympics COMPLETE SET Album Football Judo
Option three: be patient. The Royal Mint still sells uncirculated sets from their archives. The 2012 Olympic 50p set in a presentation pack is available for about £50. It’s a lovely gift for the person who has everything, including a casual interest in boring metal discs.
