The Royal Mint Releases the London 2012 Sports Collection of 50p Coins; Designed by the Nation

LONDON, November 30, 2010 - The Royal Mint is releasing a series of coins designed by members of the
British public. Depicting the power and passion of the world's greatest
sporting event, the 50p coins showcase each of the 29 Olympic and Paralympic
sports to be contested during London 2012.

Set to become a long lasting legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games, the London 2012 sports collection will also inspire a new
generation of collectors, as part of London 2012's official range of
merchandise.

Almost 30,000 designs were submitted to the Royal Mint following the
launch of a public competition in January 2009. After months of debate and
consultation the final 29 London 2012 Olympics 50p coin (
www.royalmint.com/sportscollection/site/default.aspx) designs were
chosen anonymously by a panel made up of independent experts, representatives
of the Royal Mint, London 2012 and the International Olympic Committee.

The winners come from a diverse range of professions, backgrounds and
locations across the country, including a policeman from Manchester, a
delivery driver from Reading, a radiologist from Stoke, a bank clerk from
Preston, a part time chef from Cornwall, an agronomist from Yorkshire and a
75 year old retired social worker from Derby.

The collection also makes history by featuring designs from a 10 year old
schoolgirl from Bristol and a 16 year old student from Pembrokeshire; the
first child and teenager to design a circulating coin of the realm.

Since its introduction 41 years ago when decimalisation was established,
only 16 designs have featured on the nation's 50p. The 29 London 2012 coins
appearing in 2010 and 2011 represent the biggest, concurrent range of designs
the Royal Mint has ever featured on a circulating coin. And like every UK
coin in use today, each design also had to obtain final approval from the
Treasury and Her Majesty the Queen.

Dave Knight, the Royal Mint's director of commemorative coin, said:
"Every one of our twenty nine winners is making history. Their coins will
become treasured mementos of the biggest sporting event to happen on UK
shores in a generation, and will be around for generations to come.

"Every coin captures the spirit, excitement and passion of the Olympic
and Paralympic Games. In isolation each is a work of art, together they are
an inspirational portrait of a sporting phenomenon. The Royal Mint is
immensely proud to be part of London 2012 and we're thrilled that this
competition has enabled ordinary people to play a part too."

London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said: "Coins are a part of the fabric of
our daily life, so to have a range of coins designed specifically to
celebrate London 2012 is a huge honour, made all the more special by the fact
that members of the public have designed them. The 50p's will be part of a
long-lasting, wide-reaching cultural legacy that will benefit the entire
nation and I'm looking forward to finding the first one in my change and
collecting the entire range."

About the Royal Mint:

The Royal Mint has a history dating back over 1,100 years. By the late
thirteenth century the organisation was based in the Tower of London, and
remained there for over 500 years. By 1812, the Royal Mint had moved out of
the Tower to premises on London's Tower Hill. In 1967 the building of a new
Royal Mint began on its current site in Llantrisant, South Wales.

The Royal Mint produces a number of different items including gold coins
(www.royalmint.com/), silver coins, Doctor Who medals and new 2011
coins (
www.royalmint.com/store/catalogue/themes/2011collections/2011collections.aspx?src=home_sml2011Collections).

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PR contact: Porter Novelli, 31 St Petersburgh Place, London, W2 4LA, +44(0)20-7853-2390