The forgotten Olympic coins – Celebration of Britain £5 Series

In the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games, The Royal Mint issued the Celebration of Britain £5 coins, designed to represent the very best of Britain.

The Silver Proof Celebration of Britain series, released between 2009 and 2010, features 18 £5 coins split across three key themes – Mind, Body, and Spirit – each capturing what makes our nation truly unique.

Let’s take a closer look at the full set…

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Mind – Celebrating British Brilliance

The “Mind” coins honour Britain’s contributions to culture, science, and intellect. These designs reflect our past and present achievements in architecture, literature, art and innovation. The six “Mind” coins feature:

• Big Ben – Symbolising democracy and the key role Britain has played through its Parliament.
• Stonehenge – A tribute to Britain’s ancient heritage and mysterious monuments.
• Angel of the North – Britain’s largest sculpture and the largest angel sculpture in the world!
• Flying Scotsman – Celebrating ground breaking engineering and railway excellence.
• Sir Isaac Newton – A genius who transformed the world through science.
• Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre – A nod to our rich literary history.

Body – Honouring the Natural World

The “Body” collection focuses on the beauty of Britain’s natural environment and the strength it inspires, featuring:

• Giant’s Causeway – A natural wonder born of volcanic activity and Irish legend.
• English Oak (British Flora) – An old symbol England, used to build many iconic ships.
• River Thames – The longest river entirely in England, measuring 346km long!
• Weather – A symbol of the rapidly changing English weather.
• Barn Owl (British Fauna) – The most widely distributed species of owl in the world.
• Rhossili Bay (The Coastline of Britain) – Part of the British coastline with beautiful and dramatic scenery.

Spirit – Reflecting British Values

Finally, the “Spirit” series captures the very essence of what it means to be British – from resilience to humour, with coins representing:

• Sir Winston Churchill – Celebrating great acts of courage and heroism.
• The Mall (The Spirit of London) – The setting of countless British traditions and pageants.
• Floral Emblems (Unity) – Symbols representing unity with the United Kingdom.
• Music – A tribute to British popular music.
• The White Rabbit (Humour) – A fictional character in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, often associated with humour and wit.
• Olaudah Equiano (Tolerance) – A nineteenth century anti-slavery campaigner, representing tolerance.

Unique Inscriptions

Did you know, each coin features a quote relevant to its theme? For example, the quote on the Music coin reads “All you need is love”, lyrics from the song by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and the Weather coin’s inscription reads “Never may a cloud come o’er the sunshine of your mind”, a quotation from Charlotte Brontë.

The entire series was designed by Shane Greeves, who included the London 2012 Olympics logo on every coin in the series, with each of the three themes having different coloured logos.

A forgotten coin series

The Celebration of Britain series perfectly captured the heart and soul of Britain in the lead up to the London 2012 Olympics, however it’s often overlooked, perhaps overshadowed by the 2011 29-coin Olympic 50p series.

Find out more about the Olympic 50ps >>

All 18 coins in the series were available in Silver Proof, but only 3 were available in Brilliant Uncirculated Cupro-Nickel – Big Ben, Sir Winston Churchill and The Mall (Spirit of London). These coins also feature the coloured London 2012 logo, an unusual touch for Brilliant Uncirculated coins.

We’d love to know if you have any of the Celebration of Britain £5 coins in your collection, so let us know in the comments!

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