An official Team GB commemorative 50p coin honouring Britain’s competitors in the Olympic Games has been launched.

The coin is available from the Royal Mint in gold, silver, brilliant uncirculated and colour printed versions as the nation gets behind the sporting heroes going for gold in Tokyo.

Created by The Royal Mint’s senior designer David Knapton, the coin first appeared in the Mint’s 2020 annual set.

The new coin, designed in 2020 and struck in 2021, is available individually, with prices ranging from £10 for a brilliant uncirculated version to £1,005 for a gold proof coin.

The design of the coin celebrating the postponed Games features the 2020 graphic, while the obverse has 2021 as the year of production.

Royal Mint coins
Royal Mint senior designer David Knapton holding a commemorative 50p coin (Royal Mint/PA)

The Royal Mint’s divisional director of commemorative coin Clare Maclennan said: “We have a rich sporting heritage in Great Britain and, inspired by the stories of the athletes preparing for Tokyo 2020, we want to reignite that spirit of unity for Team GB with the launch of the official commemorative coin.

“The design of the coin, with its contemporary sporting icons, flashes of colour and commemorative date on the surface of a 50p, represent the breadth of British sporting talent coming together as one and gives a nod to the vibrancy of the host nation that will resonate with athletes, sports fans and coin collectors ahead of the greatest sporting show on earth.”

Team GB’s head of licensing Paul Ellis said: “Our licensing agreement with the Royal Mint has gone from strength to strength and it gives me great pleasure to launch the official Team GB coin so that fans can show their support for their sporting heroes by owning a special commemorative keepsake with just over a month to go until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.”

In 2012, The Royal Mint created a series of sporting coins for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

These Olympic coins became some of the most collectable 50ps, the Mint said.