As a lasting tribute to Britain’s industrialisation and to celebrate Britain’s pride in our heritage, the Flying Scotsman £5 coin is the perfect gift for those with an interest in British history and steam engines in particular while, at the same time, commemorating the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
As Britain gears up for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Royal Mint is celebrating achievements from our heritage with the release of 18 sterling silver Proof coins. Each of the £5 coins features the London 2012 logo in colour on the reverse while the Queen’s portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS graces the obverse.
The image of the Flying Scotsman on this £5 coin highlights industrialisation in Britain and its role in re-shaping the world. Steam power was hugely important to this and so the Flying Scotsman has been taken as a symbol of Britain’s industrial heritage.
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Designer Shane Greeves worked closely with the Royal Mint Engraving Team to produce this special coin that combines a stirring quote with a symbolic image to encapsulate the emotion, the wonders and greatness of Britain and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The inscription, ‘True hope is swift’, represents the speed of the Flying Scotsman as well as being a sentiment with which all Olympians could associate.
Flying Scotsman is one of the most famous locomotives in the world. Designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and built by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Doncaster works in 1923, this iconic locomotive holds a host of records, including being the first locomotive to complete a non-stop London to Edinburgh run.
Flying Scotsman locomotive 4472 was the first steam engine to achieve a fully authenticated speed of 100mph. In 1989 a tour of Australia resulted in two new world records – the longest non-stop run by a steam engine (422 miles), and the first locomotive to circumnavigate the globe when travelling back to the UK via Cape Horn.
In 1963 Flying Scotsman was retired from the mainline and started life with numerous private owners. It was later bought by the National Railway Museum in 2004 for restoration in York, so that the nation will be able to see Flying Scotsman in all its former glory.