To celebrate the successful London 2012 bid and commemorate the Handover Ceremony of the Olympic Flag from Beijing to London on the 24 August 2008, the Royal Mint has struck a commemorative legal tender £2 coin available in 22 carat gold, sterling silver and base alloys.

The Design

The legal tender £2 coin features on its reverse the Olympic Flag and the London 2012 logo. This design has been created by the Royal Mint Engraving Team and has been authorised by the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Surrounding the central design are the words ‘BEIJING 2008′ and ‘LONDON 2012′ along its outer ring, set against a backdrop of lines reminiscent of an athletics track.

The edge of the Handover Ceremony £2 coin features the inscription I CALL UPON THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD.

The 2008 United Kingdom Handover Ceremony £2 Brilliant Uncirculated Presentation Pack

This specially designed presentation pack is a delightful and affordable way of commemorating the outstanding success of the London 2012 bid and the official Handover Ceremony. (more…)

The Sgarabhaigh Sixpence forms an important part of a wider project to conserve and share the small Scottish island of Sgarabhaigh which lies in the beautiful Western Isles of Scotland. The coin design is based on an ancient coin of the realm and incorporates a blend of the ancient and modern history of the island as well as three of the ecological cornerstones of the place that is Sgarabhaigh. We have minted it in ‘fine’ silver which is 99.9% pure silver, rather than the harder but less pure Sterling Silver, as it will not have to suffer the rigours of general circulation.

The coin is based on the silver sixpence produced by James VI of Scotland (1588-1625) also James I of England (1603-1625) the first King to unite the crowns of Scotland and England. It is a denomination of coinage first introduced in 1551 and was minted up to 1967 with its final demise being part of the decimalization of currency in the United Kingdom in 1971.

The selection of a coin from this period of Royal Union is considered appropriate as Friends of Sgarabhaigh too is a joint Scottish / English venture. The coin is therefore a solid silver coin 26mm diameter and weighing 4.5gms, the same proportions as the hand struck sixpence coins minted up to 1662. The machine-made milled coins made after that date reduced in size to 21mm dia and a weight of 3 gms and they in turn were changed in1816 to a 19mm diameter 2.8 gm coin. This coin would have been hand struck in 1603 as this was the traditional method of coin production up to 1662. We have however minted the coin using a mechanical method employed post 1662 in order to retain the maximum detailed definition of the features of the coin. Its detail is an amalgam of historic and ecological elements which create what is a unique, and we believe an accurate, representation of what is now Sgarabhaigh. (more…)

The United States Mint will begin accepting orders for Andrew Jackson’s Liberty First Spouse Coin on August 28 at noon Eastern Time. The 24-karat gold coins will be available in 1/2-ounce proof and uncirculated versions priced at $619.95 and $599.95, respectively. Mintage is set at 40,000 across both product options. Customer demand will determine the ratio of proof to uncirculated coins produced.

The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 contains a provision for the continuity of the First Spouse Coin Program in the event that a President served without a spouse. The provision calls for a gold coin to be issued bearing an obverse design emblematic of Liberty as represented on a United States coin issued during the President’s period of service and a reverse image emblematic of themes of that President. This provision applies to Andrew Jackson, who was widowed shortly before he took office.

The image selected for the obverse of the Andrew Jackson’s Liberty First Spouse Gold Coin is a reproduction of the Capped Bust, Lettered Edge Half-Dollar minted from 1807 to 1836. The image was designed by United States Mint Engraver John Reich (1768-1833). Inscriptions on the obverse are “In God We Trust,” “2008″ and “1829-1837,” the years Jackson served as President.

The reverse of Jackson’s Liberty First Spouse Gold Coin is emblazoned with an image of “Old Hickory,” a war hero who led a force of approximately 4,000 troops against the British Army at the battle of New Orleans. The coin was designed by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program Master Designer Justin Kunz and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart. Inscriptions on the reverse are “United States of America,” “E Pluribus Unum,” “$10,” “1/2 oz.” and “.9999 Fine Gold.” (more…)