Based on the fantasy novel series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’, by George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones debuted on HBO on April 17, 2011, and became a phenomenon almost immediately. The story is multi-layered, alternating between the infighting for the throne of the Seven Kingdoms in Westeros, the rise of the last of the former ruling dynasty in Essos, and the build-up to the return of the undead from the far north as told through the eyes of The Night’s Watch.

It’s impossible to encapsulate the series in an article like this, but suffice to say, it blended, politics, family drama, war, and the supernatural in a way that television hadn’t seen before. It was meticulously put together, beautifully shot, and had some truly world-class acting. While the eighth and final season divides critics, the overall production is a landmark in the genre. It has since been followed by two series set in the same world, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and House of the Dragon, both, in my opinion, superb. Other stories are being developed, but the last two books in the sequence are looking increasingly unlikely to get finished.

While Agoro has the general rights to the franchise, the convoluted world of licensing means that rarely means exclusivity, so here we are with a pair of new fifty pence coins from The Royal Mint. The designs, by Ffion Rees, lean into the ice and fire aspect of the story, taking it back to its barest bones. Ice is represented by a fine portrayal of the Night King, the undead ruler of the Army of the Dead that threatens the world of man, with his personal sigil displayed alongside it. Fire takes the obvious route of depicting one of the Targaryen dragons, with their sigil to the right.

In typical fashion with these 50p releases, there’s an 8 gram sterling silver variant, and a 15.5 gram (1/2oz) 22kt gold variant. The silver coins have colour highlighting, which we feel is both restrained, and well implemented, but the gold are cleanly struck, also a bonus in our view, as colour rarely looks great on gold, especially a red gold like this. There are also base-metal coins in both coloured, and uncoloured versions, and a pair of limited edition (100) prints, which we haven’t seen yet, but will sell for £250 each. The coins will be available at 9am today. Please use the affiliate link below if you want to nuy.