Beijing to London Olympic Games Handover Coins

The Royal Mint revealed on Wednesday limited edition silver, gold and base metal £2 coins to commemorate the successful bid of London 2012 and mark the Olympic handover from Beijing.

The coins are the first legal tender UK coinage to display the London 2012 logo and the first to show the Olympic emblem.

Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London 2012 organising committee, said:

"The sale of mementoes of this kind are a tradition of the Olympic and Paralympic movement and one that London 2012 and the Royal Mint will continue with the release of over the four years leading up to the 2012 Games."

The coins’ reverse features one hand passing the Olympic Flag to another, as well as the London 2012 Olympics logo within an inner ring. Surrounding the central design are the words ‘LONDON 2012′ and ‘BEIJING 2008,’ set against a backdrop of lines reminiscent of an athletics track.

The edge of the coins feature the inscription ‘I CALL UPON THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD.’

The obverse or heads side of the coin features Ian Rank-Broadley’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

The legal tender coins range in price from £6.95, £32.95, to £450.00. The silver and gold collector coins are minted in proof, which are described by The Royal Mint:

"To achieve the superior quality of Proof coins, the die is sand blasted with fine particles to give a frosted finish. The surrounding table or field is then carefully hand polished with diamond paste, a process that takes many hours and considerable skill, resulting in the mirror-like finish."

The designs were authorised by the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

2008 Olympic Games Handover coin specifications

* Taken from a total coin mintage of 30,000
** Taken from a total coin mintage of 3,250

For more information or to order, visit The Royal Mint page:

London 2012 Homepage

Phone orders are available via 0845 60 88 222. USA at 1-866-519-7298 9am to 10pm (GMT) Toll free and Canada at 1-866-924-0861 9am to 10pm (GMT) Toll free.

About the Royal Mint

The Royal Mint is a department of government and its primary responsibility remains the provision of the United Kingdom coinage. Its reputation, however, extends beyond this and internationally it has a reputation for making some fascinating coins for over 100 countries.

The history of the Royal Mint itself stretches back over 1100 years. There is an unbroken link from the scattered workshops of the moneyers of Anglo-Saxon London to a single mint within the Tower of London, from a purpose-built premises at Tower Hill to the huge modern coining plant in South Wales.

In April 1975 the Mint was established as a Government Trading Fund, operationally very similar to a government-owned company.