London 2012 Olympic 50P Commemorative Coins Popular

Circulating London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic 50p Commemorative Coins are popular, according to new data from the Royal Mint.

As the first UK coins designed by the public, more are collected than any other commemorative coin released into circulation since decimalization, the Mint states.

"The Royal Mint expects and plans for 2 to 3% of new 50p coins released into circulation to be removed by collectors or simply be lost. But a recent audit suggests that of the 29,363,613 Sports 50ps issued into circulation to date, more than 70% — or £10,277,264 — will be hoarded by people keen to collect a free souvenir of London 2012 by the time the Games begin — 67% above the usual level of removal."

London 2012 50p Commemorative Coins feature designs of all 29 Olympic and Paralympic sports. Selected through public competition with more than 30,000 entries, designers ranged from an 8 year old schoolgirl to a 75 year old former social worker.

The commemorate coins have been released into the banking system on a per design basis over the last 20 months. The last ones will launch this autumn. The 29 Olympic and Paralympic coins honor the sports of:

To help collect circulating 50p coin finds, the Royal Mint offers a free folder to store them. Various other folders, starter packs and sets are also available from the Mint that include the sports coins in uncirculated qualities. For more about these products, check out the Royal Mint page:

http://www.royalmint.com/our-coins/events/london-2012/50p-collection.

About The Royal Mint

The Royal Mint (http://www.royalmint.com/) has a history dating back over 1,000 years. By the late thirteenth century the organization 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.