Spain’s Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre (FNMT), in association with the Real Casa de la Moneda, has announced the release of two new coins marking the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The XXXI Olympiad will be the first held on South American soil, 120 years after the start of the modern games. Brazil is South America’s largest country and is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas; the nation’s population constitutes nearly half of all South Americans.
The games will be staged in Rio de Janeiro’s new Olympic park specially built for the mega-sports event. The games will kick off on August 5 — interestingly enough in the middle of the winter season as Rio is located in the southern hemisphere. Regardless of the season, tens of thousands of expected visitors will be able to enjoy the legendary beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana.
The coins are produced in both gold and silver and include color applications. Both coins share the same obverse design but carry different reverse motifs. The reverse design for the gold coin includes a depiction of the games’ torch relay between two athletes as inspired by the ancient games of Mount Olympus.
The reverses of the silver coin carries different motifs inspired by the ancient Olympic Games. Additionally, the reverses of both coins reproduce the official logo of the Spanish Olympic Committee in color. The obverse side carries an effigy of HM King Felipe VI with the date of issue, 2016, placed below the portrait.
| Denomination | Metal | Weight | Diameter | Quality | Mintage |
| 10 €URO | .925 silver | 27 grams | 40 mm. | Proof & colour | 7500 pieces |
| 100 €URO | .999 Gold | 6.75 Grams | 23 mm. | Proof & colour | 2500 pieces |
The coins are referred to in their traditional Spanish denominations as 8 reales (silver) and 2 escudos (gold); they are now available and can be purchased separately. For additional information on these and other coins offered by the Real Casa – Casa de la Moneda, please visit their Web site. International sales are dispatched where applicable.
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I like the gold coin design but the king’s portrait just ruins it.