OLYMPIC swimming hero Rebecca Adlington was given another golden honour yesterday when she helped produce the first special commemorative coin for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The 25-year-old, who won a double-gold haul at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, visited the headquarters of the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, South Wales to help strike the limited-edition gold coin, which is worth £725.

Another limited-edition version of the regular 50 pence piece has also been produced to mark the staging of the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, for which Adlington was named an official ambassador shortly before she announced her retirement from the sport. It will go into circulation in July.

The design of the coin, by Alex Loudon, features a cyclist and an athlete, as well as lettering inspired by Glasgow's most celebrated architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and a saltire.

Adlington, who also won two bronzes in the 2012 Olympics, met some of the Royal Mint experts who designed the medals for the London Games.

She said: "It was particularly special for me to visit the Royal Mint because I got to see the very building where my London 2012 medals were struck.

To read the complete article, see:Rebecca Adlington gets gold with Glasgow 2014 50p(www.scotsman.com/news/uk/rebecca-adlington-gets-gold-with-glasgow-2014-50p-1-3395099)

Coins marking the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One will enter circulation in 2014.

The Royal Mint has released details of the new coin designs that will feature on the 50p, £1 and £2 coins.

The success of coins marking the London 2012 Olympics has prompted the Mint to produce a coin to mark the Commonwealth Games in 2014 in Glasgow.

The 50p coin will feature two sports - athletics and cycling - as well as the Saltire of Scotland.

To read the complete article, see:New coin designs for 2014 unveiled by The Royal Mint(www.bbc.com/news/business-25558632)