As a lasting tribute to one of Britain’s most famous landmarks and to celebrate Britain’s pride in our heritage, the Giant’s Causeway £5 coin is the perfect gift for those with an interest in British natural history 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 Giant’s Causeway on this £5 coin represents a wonderful mystical sense of achievement and a natural wonder of the world.
Show/hide further information about this product
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, ‘When the stone began to dream’, by the contemporary poet Alice Oswald, expresses the feeling of mythical wonder and achievement and can be seen as defining the excitement of London hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games which will capture this global wonder of seeing athletes achieve their dreams.
Giant’s Causeway, located on the north east coast of Northern Ireland in County Antrim, is Northern Ireland’s most famous natural attraction. The spectacular complex of basalt columns packed together form ‘stepping stones’ leading from the foot of the cliff and disappearing under the sea. There are at least 38,000 of these stone columns and were formed about 60 million years ago by the cooling and shrinking of molten lava from a vast volcanic eruption that formed the Antrim plateau.
Called the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’ in the 1700s, Giant’s Causeway is now a World Heritage site, National Nature Reserve and Northern Ireland’s Premier tourist attraction. The site and 15 miles of footpaths along the Causeway Coastline are owned and maintained by the National Trust, working in close co-operation with Moyle District Council who manage the Centre and provide excellent service to the thousands of visitors who go to explore it each year.