The coins, which come into circulation from next month, feature all 29 Olympic and Paralympic sports that will be contested in 2012.

For the first time in the Mint's 1,100-year history, the coins have been designed by members of the public, with 29 different designers - one for each coin - being picked from nearly 30,000 entries in a public competition.

A panel of independent experts and representatives from Royal Mint, London 2012 and the International Olympic Committee picked the winning designs by people including a Manchester policeman, a delivery driver from Reading and a 75-year-old retired social worker from Derby.

Like every UK coin in general use, it has got approval from the Queen and the Treasury while the coins will also be the Royal Mint's biggest joint release of designs on coins for general use.

London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said: "Coins are a part of the fabric of our daily life, so to have a range of coins designed specifically to celebrate London 2012 is a huge honour, made all the more special by the fact that members of the public have designed them.

"The 50ps will be part of a long-lasting, wide-reaching cultural legacy that will benefit the entire nation and I'm looking forward to finding the first one in my change and collecting the entire range."

Jonathan Wren, a Buckinghamshire animator whose design was selected to be used for the 50p goalball coin, said: "I'm extremely delighted and honoured to have a design that the Royal Mint has chosen to present in the form of a 50 pence coin and connected to such a major event.

"My children will be able to appreciate it in years to come.

"It hasn't quite sunk in yet."

Royal Mint director of commemorative coin, Dave Knight, added: "Every one of the winners is making history.

"Their coins will become treasured mementos of the biggest sporting event to happen on UK shores for over half a century and we hope will encourage a new generation of collectors."

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