2010 London Olympic Games Countdown Piedfort £5 Silver Proof Coin Box Coa

In 2010, 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 second in a series of four coins.

The reverse designed by Claire Aldridge BA depicts Athletics featuring a dynamic image of competing runners racing for the finishing line and the coveted gold medal.
Also featured is the second countdown number, '2', representing two years to the great event, and the London 2012 Olympic logo in full colour.
The obverse design is the stunning portrait of Her Majesty 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 especially 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.