Like most of the pins that use the flag design, sales have been brisk. Both mascots were available as pins completely coloured in the Union flag. Mandeville was decked out in a policewoman’s costume and also as a Beefeater guard. Wenlock appeared in a policeman’s uniform complete with police hat and also as a Queen’s guard with bearskin. The spring and summer of 2011 saw the release of a range of pins that used both the Union flag and some of the iconic uniforms associated with London and the United Kingdom. Although these sets were limited to 2,012 pieces, they are still available from select retailers. These pins saw both Wenlock and Mandeville standing in front of a Union Flag heart in the ‘welcome’ pose and ‘waving’ pose respectively. In February 2011, a further boxed pair of mascot pins was released to celebrate Valentine’s Day. None of these pins are particularly rare having issue sizes of 10,000 or 20,000. The next mascot pins to be released during the autumn of 2010 were animated pins that used sliders, springs and dangling elements to create more interest. The sets appear on auction sites every so often. These sets were limited to 2,012 pieces and, helped by the publicity, sold out within a couple of weeks. The mascots were launched in May 2010 and alongside the publicity and promotional video came a boxed set of two pins – one of each mascot ‘riding’ on a rainbow. The story goes that both mascots were made from the final drops of steel made for the construction of the Olympic Stadium. Mandeville is the Paralympic mascot and is named after Stoke Mandeville, the hospital where the first Paralympic Games were held. Wenlock is the Olympic mascot and is named after the village of Much Wenlock where Pierre de Coubertin had the inspiration for the modern Olympic Games. (ATR) London pin specialist Paul McGill points the spotlight onto some of the 2012 Games mascot pins starring Wenlock and Mandeville.

London olympic games 2012 mascot