Royal Mint honors British Olympic, Paralympic athletes
- Published: Jul 7, 2024, 12 PM
Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes are being honored on five official United Kingdom 50-penny coins ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The collectible coins, released July 2, are designed to inspire the nation, featuring an Olympic and Paralympic athlete side by side against a backdrop of the Union Flag.
In a special nod to the location of the Paris 2024 Games, a silhouette of the iconic Eiffel Tower is seen at the base of the coin.
To celebrate the release, the Royal Mint invited Team GB athletes Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Ruby Evans, and Will Bayley and Funmi Oduwaiye representing ParalympicsGB, to strike some of the very first coins — giving their personal seal of approval of the design.
Each Team GB and ParalympicsGB athlete will also receive their own coin in their kit bags before the games.
The United Kingdom has participated in every modern Olympic Games since its inception in 1896. The UK has a proud history as the birthplace of Paralympic sport, which began with the Stoke Mandeville Games in 1948.
Specifications, pricing
Five different 50-penny versions are being issued, a Brilliant Uncirculated copper-nickel 50-penny coin, in both plain and colorful versions, Proof .925 fine silver standard and piedfort (double thick) versions, and a Proof .9167 fine gold version.
All of the coins measure 27.3 millimeters in diameter, and three of the coins weigh 8 grams.
The piedfort silver coin weighs 16 grams, and the gold version weighs 15.5 grams.
The plain BU coin has an unlimited mintage and retails for £12. The colorful BU coin is limited to a mintage of 13,250 pieces for £21 each.
The standard silver 50-penny coin’s mintage limit is 5,010 pieces at £75 each. The piedfort silver 50-penny’s mintage limit is 2,034 pieces at £128 each.
The gold coin’s mintage limit is 185 pieces, 150 of them available individually for £1,355 each.
To order, or learn more, visit the Royal Mint’s website, www.royalmint.com.
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