With the London 2012 Olympics officially over and the Paralympics commencing soon, we take a look at what we think are the top coins minted to commemorate what has been a very successful Olympic Games.
Produced by the Royal Mint, some of these are of course rather exclusive, and come with a price tag to match. Then again that’s part of the allure of rare coins; there will always be a few favourites that we can only ever dream about owning.
Let’s start with a couple of the more affordable options:
1. The Official Brilliant Uncirculated £5 Coin – Price tag £ 14,99
This is the top selling London Olympics commemorative coin so far, and is struck in cupo-nickel. It’s affordable for most coin collectors (and memorabilia fans), which is why it’s fast become the most popular of this commemorative coin series.
2. The Paralympic Silver Piedfort Proof £5 Coin – Price tag £175,00
A maximum of only 2,012 of these coins will be struck, which are the only range of celebratory Olympic coins to feature the official Olympic emblem with a Union flag infill.
3. The Two Coin £5 Gold Proof Set – Price tag £ 5,500
A maximum of only 5, 000 Olympic gold Coins and 2,012 Paralympic Gold coins will be produced, featuring the Olympic and Paralympic emblems with Union flag infill. All London Olympic gold coins purchased through the Royal Mint are certified authentic.
4. The UK 5oz Gold Proof Set – Price Tag £ 11, 500
This is the UK’s first ever 5oz gold coin and a maximum of 500 of these exclusive coins will be minted in .999 fine gold.
5. The London 2012 50p Series
Back to the other end of the scale, there’s the London 2012 Olympics 50p, featuring both Olympic and Paralympic disciplines. It’s estimated that over 70% of the coins (around £10 million) will be kept as souvenirs, although it’s unlikely they’ll be worth more than their face value once the Olympics is over, which is good news for foreign coin collectors looking to add a piece of history to their collection.
