Obverse. Photo © Chards
  • 5 Pounds 2009, KM# 1140, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Elizabeth II, London 2012 Summer Olympics: Celebration of Britain, Mind - Angel of the North
  • 5 Pounds 2009, KM# 1140, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Elizabeth II, London 2012 Summer Olympics: Celebration of Britain, Mind - Angel of the North
Description

As Britain gears up for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Royal Mint is celebrating achievements from British heritage with the release of 18 coins. The collection is divided into three series - The Mind Series, The Body Series and The Spirit Series. Each of the £5 coins features the London 2012 logo in colour on the reverse. Angel of the North the third coin in a series.

The 2012 Summer Olympics, formally the Games of the XXX Olympiad and commonly known as London 2012, took place in London and to a lesser extent across the United Kingdom from 25 July to 12 August 2012. During the Games, Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, winning his 22nd medal. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Brunei entered female athletes for the first time, so that every currently eligible country has sent a female competitor to at least one Olympic Games. Women's boxing was included for the first time, thus the Games became the first at which every sport had female competitors. The final medal tally was led by the United States, followed by China and host Great Britain.

Obverse

Fourth crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was a wedding present in 1947 from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland in 1893 on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later George V. Made by E. Wolfe & Co., it was purchased from Garrard & Co. by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1914, Mary adapted the tiara to take 13 diamonds in place of the large oriental pearls surmounting the tiara. At first, Elizabeth wore the tiara without its base and pearls but the base was reattached in 1969. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of Elizabeth's most recognisable pieces of jewellery due to its widespread use on British banknotes and coinage.

ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FIDEI DEFENSATRIX means Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen and Defender of the Faith.

Engraver: Ian Rank-Broadley

ELIZABETH·II·D·G·REG·F·D FIVE POUNDS·2009
IRB

Reverse

The Angel of the North accompanied by the blue-green 2012 London Olympic logo and a quotation from William Shakespeare's HenryVIII, "I have touched the highest point of all my greatness". The quotation is intended to provide an unambiguous link with sporting achievement while also making a playful reference to the colossal size of the sculpture.

The Angel of the North is a contemporary sculpture, designed by Antony Gormley, located in Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, England. Completed in 1998, it is a steel sculpture of an angel, 20 metres (66 ft) tall, with wings measuring 54 metres (177 ft) across. The wings do not stand straight sideways, but are angled 3.5 degrees forward; Gormley did this to create "a sense of embrace". It stands on the hill of Birtley, overlooking the A1 and A167 roads into Tyneside, and the East Coast Main Line rail route, south of the site of Team Colliery.

The London 2012 Summer Olympics logo is four abstract shapes placed in a quadrant formation spelling out "2012". The word "London" is written in the shape representing the "2", while the Olympic rings are placed in the shape representing the "0".

Engraver: Shane Greeves

I have
touched the
highest
london TM
point
of
all my
greatness

Edge

5 Pounds (Crown)

4th portrait, Silver Proof
KM# 1140 Sp# LO39
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.925
Weight 28.28 g
Diameter 38.61 mm
Thickness 2.89 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Royal Mint

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