Star Wars comes to the home of the Empire! The Royal Mint debuts the famous droids on three coins (UPDATED)
In what is very surprising news, the Royal Mint here in the UK is debuting the first in a new range of Star Wars coins. The franchise has a long association with the UK, with the original trilogy largely being filmed here, but this is the first time that original trilogy Star Wars characters have officially adorned coins issued for the UK. They’re starting with the droids C3-PO and R2-D2, and this is the first design of four in the series. The others will be Vader/Palpatine, Luke/Leia, and Han/Chewie.
Three formats will make up the range, starting with that iconic heptagonal fifty-pence piece in sterling silver, of course. These things are incredibly popular here, and all the major pop-culture issues appear on it. Joining it will be 1/4 oz gold and 1 oz silver coins. All sport the same design, complete with the small lenticular feature at the top, although the 50p coin is coloured.
The coins will be available to purchase from the Royal Mint website at 9am UK-time on the 10th July, and given how popular numismatics are in the UK at present, we’d expect the mint’s online queuing system (a national hobby…) to get a workout. We don’t have confirmed specs, prices or mintages as we write this, but the spec table below is likely accurate as far as it goes, and we’ll update it shortly. It’s a great design, which will please fans of the franchise, but with the New Zealand Mint having done it to death for a decade, we’re not sure how much enthusiasm there will be in the wider world. Still, the design is good, the series size pre-defined, and the quality will be great. We predict a quick sell-out unless mintages are insanely high.
10/07/23: Updated with previously embargoed specification tables
PRESS RELEASE:
This is the first time the iconic characters of the original Star Wars trilogy will feature on official UK coins, including the nation’s most collectable coin, the 50p, with images of R2-D2™ and C-3PO™ being the first to feature as part of the four-coin collection. Both characters are seen inside the Millennium Falcon, the infamous star ship which has played a role in some of the greatest victories of the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic. Other coins in the collection will feature Darth Vader™ and Emperor Palpatine™, Luke Skywalker™ and Princess Leia™ and Han Solo™ and Chewbacca™.
Coin collecting remains Britain’s favoured hobby, with coins remaining the number one collected item in the UK*. The Royal Mint’s Star Wars collection is offering an original twist for avid Star Wars enthusiasts to expand their dedicated collection of memorabilia.
Coin collecting remains Britain’s favoured hobby, with coins remaining the number one collected item in the UK*. The Royal Mint’s Star Wars collection is offering an original twist for avid Star Wars enthusiasts to expand their dedicated collection of memorabilia.
Experienced coin designer Ffion Gwillim has bought the brainchild of American moviemaker George Lucas to life on UK coins, working in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company. Combining traditional minting techniques with cutting-edge technology, The Royal Mint’s craftspeople have faithfully reproduced R2-D2 and C-3PO characters in vivid colour for the first time on official UK coins.
Each coin in the Star Wars Commemorative Coin Collection features a special lenticular feature, which tilts in the light to reveal symbols. The lenticular feature on the first coin in the collection features both Tatooine and the Rebel Alliance ‘Starbird’ logo. An advanced picosecond laser was used by The Royal Mint to imprint the intricate design onto coin making tools to ensure accuracy, and create an additional, special effect to further enhance the coin’s design. By adding it to the Star Wars collection, this will introduce new audiences to The Royal Mint’s specialised striking techniques. The only exception to this is the quarter ounce gold, which has a static image in place of the lenticular feature.
| SILVER SPECIFICATION | |||||
| DENOMINATION | £10 UKP | £5 UKP | £2 UKP | £0.5 UKP | |
| COMPOSITION | 156.30 g of 0.999 silver | 62.86 g of 0.999 silver | 31.21 g of 0.999 silver | 8.0 g of 0.925 silver | |
| DIMENSIONS | 65.0 mm | 40.0 mm | 38.61 mm | 27.3 mm | |
| FINISH | Proof | Proof | Proof | Proof, colour | |
| MINTAGE (SOLO) | 350 | 750 | 3,000 | 12,500 | |
| R.R.P. | £485.00 | £192.50 | £102.50 | £70.00 | |
| GOLD SPECIFICATION | ||||
| DENOMINATION | £100 UKP | £25 UKP | £0.5 UKP | |
| COMPOSITION | 31.2 grams of 0.9999 gold | 7.8 grams of 0.9999 gold | 15.5 grams of 0.9167 gold | |
| DIMENSIONS | 32.69 mm | 22.0 mm | 27.3 mm | |
| FINISH | Proof | Proof | Proof | |
| MINTAGE (TOTAL) | 250 | 500 | 200 | |
| R.R.P. | £2,770.00 | £750.00 | £1,220.00 | |
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