5 Pounds - Elizabeth II XXX Olympiad, Countdown 2, Gold Proof

This is the second in the Royal Mint's countdown series leading to the 2012 London Olympics — the city's third Games, following 1908 and 1948. London's selection was announced on 6 July 2005 in Singapore, the morning after the 7/7 bombings struck the capital. The contrast between those two events defined much of the early public mood around the Games. Mintage on proof gold issues in this series was tightly restricted, with collector demand rather than circulation driving production decisions entirely.