2008 Olympics Handover To London Ceremony Two Pound Brilliant Uncirculated Coin In Folder

The Royal Mint marked the official handover of the Olympic Games from Beijing to London with this 2008 brilliant uncirculated Two Pound commemorative coin. Beijing was awarded the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in June 2001, beating four other competitor cities in the process. It was the second time the Olympics had been held in a communist state and the third time the games had been hosted in the Far East. The world viewed the games as a general success, with 87 countries different countries winning at least one medal. The closing ceremony of the 2008 Olympics included the official handover of the games to London, with Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong passing over the Olympic flag to Jacques Rogge, the President of the International Olympic Committee. Count Rogge then handed the flag over to the then Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, signifying London becoming the next Olympic host city. Following this, a demonstration titled ‘From London, With a Whole Lotta Love’ was performed in the Bird’s Nest stadium, featuring acts such as Philip Sheppard, Leona Lewis and Jimmy Page. On the reverse of this pre-owned UK coin is the Olympic flag being handed over, with the London 2012 logo underneath. The obverse depicts Queen Elizabeth II, as designed by Ian Rank-Broadley. An edge inscription is also visible, which states: ‘I CALL UPON THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD’. Specifications of the coin are a bimetallic alloy of cupronickel in the centre and a nickel-brass outer ring, a total diameter of 28.40 millimetres and a total weight of 12.00 grams. It comes issued in the original limited edition packaging from The Royal Mint.