As a lasting tribute to Britain’s diverse wildlife and a celebration of Britain’s pride in our heritage, the British Fauna £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 a Barn Owl on this £5 coin represents wisdom and thought, and the diverse wildlife of the United Kingdom.
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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, ‘The natural flights of the human mind’, by eighteenth-century British author Samuel Johnson, described as ‘arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history’, expresses the notion of thoughts flying in and out of our minds in the blink of an eye, while at the same time symbolising the determination needed by Olympians and Paralympians to ‘go for gold’.
Britain has an incredible variety of animals that have evolved to cope with our mild damp climate.
However, there is an increasing number of animals being regarded as threatened or endangered, especially in areas where woodland management has changed and there is concern over the effects of climate change.
Prime examples of endangered species are the Red Squirrels and their decline over the last 100 years due to the break of their woodland habitat and spread of disease within the species, placing it on the UK Endangered Species List; the Eurasian Otter is one of Britain’s most famous mammals but is also one of the most scarce; over many centuries the Barn Owl was the countryman's constant companion, the guardian of virtually every village church, and no barn was complete without one - now the British population has plummeted to such an extent that present day children know the bird only from posters and greeting cards.