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New 50 pence coins to commemorate London 2012 will be in use from November 2010. Find out about the first ever Royal Mint coin set designed by the British public, and how you can collect the set.

London 2012 sports collection designed by the public

To celebrate London 2012, the Royal Mint has made a collection of 50 pence coins depicting the sports of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For the first time in the 1,100-year history of the Royal Mint, this series of coins has been designed by members of the British public. The first eight coins are now available from the mint’s website - follow the link below for more information.  

Public competition to design a coin

A public competition to design coins led to almost 30,000 designs being submitted. The final 29 designs were selected by a panel of independent experts and representatives of the Royal Mint, London 2012 and the International Olympic Committee. The winners include:

The winning designs feature all the official Olympic sports of London 2012 such as athletics, gymnastics, and swimming. Paralympic sports such as boccia and goalball are also featured.

An eight-coin starter set is available now from the Royal Mint. 87 million of the 29 special 50p coins are due to come into circulation over 2010 and 2011.

• London 2012 sports collection (Royal Mint) Opens new window

The Royal Mint

The Royal Mint makes and distributes United Kingdom coins. A government owned company, it is based in Llantrisant, South Wales, and employs more than 700 people. It also makes coins and medals for an average of 60 countries every year. To find out more, follow the link below to visit their website.