In 2012, to celebrate the Countdown to the 2012 London Olympic Games, the Royal Mint released a very Limited Issue Olympic Games Countdown Piedfort £5 Five Pound Silver Proof Coin struck in solid .925 Sterling Silver which is the last in the last in a series of four coins.
The 2012 coin depicts the passage of time until Games Times with the ticking clock hand and also features a border inspired by the framework of the Olympic Stadium.
However, in this case the coin design portrays the culmination of the athlete's dedication to compete in London 2012 with three figures standing on the winners' podium to emphasis the ultimate reward of sporting success. The reverse has been designed by Claire Aldridge while the obverse has the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank Broadley. These legal tender coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks.
Piedforts are coins which have been specially struck on thicker than normal blanks. As their name suggests they are closely associated with France, where from the twelfth century they were apparently issued by the Kings as presentation pieces. In Britain the practise of striking piedforts is later and less frequent, but medieval and Tudor examples are known.
Limited Mintage of 2,324 Worldwide
Piedfort Double the Thickness and Weight of its Standard Counterpart
Struck to Royal Mint's Proof Quality in Solid .925 Sterling Silver
Celebrating the Countdown to the London Olympic Games
