2009 London 2012 Olympic Countdown Crowns

Reverse of 2009 Olympic Countdown Piedfort Silver Proof £5 Crown

2009 Silver Piedfort £5 Crown in Presentation Box

2009 London 2012 Olympic Countdown
Design
This is the first of four coins to be issued by the Royal Mint for the 2012 Olympic Games, with one coin to be released every year, to mark this special occasion.
This coin has a unique design displaying the number three to represent the start of the 3,2,1 count down to London 2012, designed in harmony with images of swimmers racing to the finishing line.
This coin will incorporate the olympic rings and the London 2012 logo. It also shows the logo appearing in full colour. This is the first UK £5 crown of its kind.

Gold Silver and Base Metal Versions
As from 1990, the five pound crowns have been produced in a number of different versions, and in three different metals. An ordinary uncirculated base metal version will be available from banks and post offices later in the year.

Prices & Availability
The gold proof version is now expected to be available in October.
We have more 2009 coins on our 2009 Coin Sets page.

2009 London 2012 Olympic Countdown

Version	Issue Limit	Availability	Price £	Price $
Brilliant Uncirculated Specimen in Folder	500,000	Yes	£9.50	$14.95
Silver Proof	30,000	Yes	£49.95	$79.95
Piedfort Silver Proof	6,000	Yes	£89.95	$143.95
Gold Proof	4,000	Yes	See Page	See Page
Platinum Proof	TBA	TBA	£	$

Olympic Crowns in Silver, Gold, & Base Metal?

A Comment from ALLAN WALLACE, formerly Director of Collector Coin for The Royal Mint.
I was fortunate to play a part in the successful bid for the 2012 Olympics. As Director of Collector Coin for the Royal Mint I was asked to be a member of the Bid Team that met with the Olympic Evaluation Committee, in case there were questions about the Royal Mint's Collector Coin Programme proposal. I was as pleased as most people when the games were awarded to London and knew that a real opportunity lay ahead of the Royal Mint to construct a programme that would reach out to collectors at all levels.
I retired from the Royal Mint in March 2006 and at that time no discussions had been held, or proposals made, on the shape of the 2012 Olympic Games Coin programme.
The following comments and suggestions are entirely my own thoughts on what the Royal Mint could be (or should be) considering for a London 2012 Olympic Coin Programme that would stand out as one of the best ever. It would need to reach out to both new and traditional collectors, meet the requirement of both younger and mature collectors alike and uniquely leave a positive legacy on UK circulating coin which would be in existence for decades after the 2012 Olympics has ended.
The most accepted coin for the modern collector is the £5 Crown because the large surface area (38.61mm) allows the design to be shown off to best effect.
The traditional collector coin programme should use the £5 crown in its various alloys (CuNi silver and gold) and its various quality standards (circulation BU and proof). Starting in 2009/2010 an annual issue of three base, three silver and one gold could be considered over a four year period. The Royal Mint will also have an obligation to generate revenue for the London 2012 Olympics and will need a programme which will continue to attract both traditional and new collectors through its lifetime.
What the above programme will not do is reinvigorate an interest in coins and coin collecting amongst the younger generation and/or the general population.

British Platinum Piedfort Crowns
Starting in 2004, the Royal Mint has issued platinum piedfort proof crowns. These are naturally very expensive. We can usually supply them new to order if required, but we prefer to source lower priced ones from the secondary market. Please contact us if you are interested.

Platinum Bullion Coins
Platinum coins are subject to VAT in the UK, so we have not until recently offered new platinum bullion coins, however, we can now obtain and supply them to special order. If demand is sufficiently high, we will start to carry them in stock.

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