The first batch of commemorative coins for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games are now on the market. The Brazilian Central Bank launched the nine coins – one gold, four silver and four for ordinary circulation – on Friday (28 November). A total of 36 coins celebrating the first edition of the Games to be held in South America will be minted between now and 2016.

The first gold coin to be launched depicts the Christ the Redeemer statue on one side and a homage to the 100m sprint on the other, underneath the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius (faster, higher, stronger).

“The coins have been a part of the Games since Helsinki 1952 and it’s a great honour to launch the first Rio 2016 coins in partnership with the Brazilian Central Bank,” said Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman. “Every Brazilian will have the chance to have a small part of the Games, and of their own country, in their hands.”

The first gold coin features an image of the Christ the Redeemer statue (Photo: Rio 2016/ Alex Ferro)

The silver coins also pay tribute to Rio de Janeiro, with one side showing iconic city landmarks with people practising sports (rowing, running, cycling and beach volleyball) in the foreground. The reverse side celebrates cultural and natural aspects of Rio and Brazil, with a porpoise, bromeliad, the Lapa Arches and Bossa Nova the first entries in the four themes of fauna, flora, architecture and music.

The Lapa Arches are celebrated on one of the first new batch of silver coins (Photo: Rio 2016/ Alex Ferro)

While the gold and silver coins are collectors’ items, the rest have been minted for normal circulation, with a value of one real. These celebrate the Olympic and Parlympic Sports, with the first set featuring athletics and swimming – the two sports in which Brazil has won most Olympic medals – as well as golf, which is returning to the Olympic Games after an absence of 112 years, and paratriathlon, which will make its Games debut in 2016.

The coins will enter circulation via the banking system, although some will be sold in special packaging for collectors. The gold and silver coins are also available for purchase, click here to find out more. In total, there will be four gold coins, 16 silver and 16 for circulation, worth one real each. The next batch is due to be released in the first half of 2015.

The coins were designed and produced by the Brazilian Central Bank and Brazilian Mint, with technical support from the Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Find out about the coin characteristics below:

Gold coins:
Face value: 10 Brazilian reais
Composition: 900/1000 gold
Diameter: 16mm
Weight: 4.4g
Edge: serrated
Finish: proof
Maximum production run: 5,000
Selling price: R$1,180

Silver coins:
Face value: 5 Brazilian reais
Composition: 925/1000 silver
Diameter: 40mm
Weight: 27g
Edge: serrated
Finish: proof
Maximum production run: 25,000
Selling price: R$195

Coins for ordinary circulation:
Face value: 1 Brazilian real
Material: stainless steel (inner core) and bronze-plated steel (outer ring)
Diameter: 27mm
Weight: 7g
Edge: serrated
Finish: common
Maximum production run: 20 million (maximum of 200,000 in carded sets)
Selling price for carded sets: R$13