As a lasting tribute to the mighty English oak tree and to celebrate Britain’s pride in our heritage, the British Flora £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 an oak leaf and acorn on this £5 coin represents the mighty oak tree symbolising the strength and endurance of Olympians and Paralympians.
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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, ‘To strive, to seek…and not to yield’, by the Victorian poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, can be seen as defining the commitment needed by Olympians and Paralympians to reach the pinnacle of their career as they ‘go for gold’.
The oak has always been considered the national tree of England. Its great height, age and strength made it the king of the English forest and a symbol of endurance.
Perhaps the most famous oak tree is the one which provided the perfect hiding place for the English king, Charles II, when he was on the run from his enemies. Unfortunately, by the early 1700s the oak tree at Boscobel Hall in Shropshire had been killed by souvenir hunters but a younger tree grew beside it from one of its acorns. The original Royal Oak now has a grandson – in 2001 Prince Charles planted a sapling nearby to mark the 350th anniversary of his famous namesake’s escape.
Perhaps the most recognised use of the oak as a symbol is the acorn-adorned sprig that is the emblem of the National Trust. Founded in 1895 by three Victorian philanthropists -Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley – the Trust now protects over 600,000 acres of countryside, more than 700 miles of coastline and some 200 or so buildings – all under the shade of its symbolic oak.