The Royal Mint’s journey through the numismatic music charts continues with seminal 60’s band, The Who. The ‘Music Legends’ series has already had Queen, Elton John, and David Bowie releases, all of which were decent encapsulations of the artists in question, in both proof and bullion form. It’s the former that’s released today, with the bullion, usually distributed by MTB/PAMP, expected to follow soon.

The Who was a fantastic band, helping to define an era in which British music was pushing in many different directions. WIth such hits as ‘My Generation’, ‘Pinball Wizard’, ‘I Can See for Miles’, and the eight minute long ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’, they became one of the 20th centuries greatest bands. Artists like Pink Floyd, The Clash, the Sex Pistols, and Jimi Hendrix, all cited The Who as inspiration, as did some of my own personal favourites like The Jam, Oasis, and Blur.

They also popularised music as fashion, with their Union Jack and RAF roundel look, and wrote soundtracks for movies ‘Quadrophenia’ and ‘Tommy’, both now considered classics. The band has sold over 100 million albums, and continue to perform and publish new material to this day, some 57 years after their formation. A worthy entrant for this coin series.

The coin looks great and is a clever piece of design. A guitar is covered in the Union flag, and is modded with elements of a pinball table, a tribute to one of the bands greatest tracks. The RAF-style roundel with the band logo on it, overlaid on a loudspeaker, completes the look. This isn’t a flashy series, but it is beautifully crafted to evoke the essence of the artists featured, and this one is no exception. The inscription ‘PINBALL WIZARD’ sits on the coin edge.

A pretty comprehensive range, the same as prior issues, is headlined by a coloured one ounce silver proof. There’s a half-ounce, two ounce, and five ounce silver also, each of them eschewing colour for a clean look. No colour on any of the five gold coins, fortunately, which start at a quarter-ounce, rising to a kilo. Mintages are slightly lower than the Bowie coin, as are prices, since the spot price has eased a little in the meantime. A base metal variant can be picked up by souvenir fans, with a coloured version with a 15k mintage available directly from the Royal Mint at a somewhat hefty price of £22.50.

A great release in a really well done series. There’s no gimmickry here, just a solidly designed tribute to some of the biggest music artists of all time. There’s very little not to like here, and we reckon these will still be popular many years from now. Like The Who, some things just age well! We actually called out this band as our next pick when Bowie was released, so we’ll have another guess now. I’m going with The Beatles, and please, please, please, please, not the Spice Girls…

PRESS RELEASE

The Royal Mint, the Original Maker of UK coins, has today launched a new range of collectable coins celebrating the iconic British band – The Who. To celebrate the launch of the coin, co-founder and lead singer of The Who, Roger Daltrey, visited The Royal Mint to strike one of the very first coins, giving the band’s seal of approval on the new coin and its design.

The Who collectable coin is the fourth in The Royal Mint’s ‘Music Legends’ series, and follows coins in honour of Queen, Elton John and David Bowie. The coin’s dynamic design includes some of the most iconic symbols from the band’s live and loud performances – including a union flag, Mod logo and speaker-smashing Rickenbacker guitar. Together, the symbols on the coin form a pinball table, a nod to the single Pinball Wizard and album Tommy, one of the band’s most famous creations. With the latest colour printing technology, elements of the coin have been digitally printed to showcase the vibrant red, white and blue of the band’s emblem.

The Royal Mint, the Original Maker of UK coins, has today launched a new range of collectable coins celebrating the iconic British band – The Who. To celebrate the launch of the coin, co-founder and lead singer of The Who, Roger Daltrey, visited The Royal Mint to strike one of the very first coins, giving the band’s seal of approval on the new coin and its design.

The Who collectable coin is the fourth in The Royal Mint’s ‘Music Legends’ series, and follows coins in honour of Queen, Elton John and David Bowie. The coin’s dynamic design includes some of the most iconic symbols from the band’s live and loud performances – including a union flag, Mod logo and speaker-smashing Rickenbacker guitar. Together, the symbols on the coin form a pinball table, a nod to the single Pinball Wizard and album Tommy, one of the band’s most famous creations. With the latest colour printing technology, elements of the coin have been digitally printed to showcase the vibrant red, white and blue of the band’s emblem.

Using the latest innovative technology and manufacturing techniques, a number of coins will feature a special ‘shockwave’ effect, radiating from the speaker – elevating the detail of the coin. Designers and craftspeople at the Mint have developed this effect in honour of The Who’s record-breaking loud concert – a record that was held for a decade.

Clare Maclennan, Divisional Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint said, “The Who are an iconic British band with an incredible musical legacy, so it felt right to honour them with an official UK coin. The Who coin is the latest in our show stopping Music Legends series, which celebrates legendary British artists through original new designs. It was a privilege to have Roger Daltrey visit the Mint to strike one of the first coins and meet the team of makers that have created this wonderful design. Our Music Legends series is engaging new generations of coin collectors, and we hope this design will become a cherished part of fan’s memorabilia.”

Roger Daltrey, Co-founder and Lead Singer of The Who said, “It’s an honour to have a coin produced to celebrate The Who’s musical legacy. The coin’s design captures the true essence of the band and what we represent. It was a fantastic moment being able to strike one of the very first pieces in the collection and see the range of technologies and processes involved in the making of the coin.”

Pete Townshend, Lead Guitarist of The Who said, “I am delighted that the band’s work is being recognised by this fantastic range of coins from The Royal Mint.”

The Who began with three schoolboys who all shared a love of music, from jazz and skiffle, to rock and rhythm & blues. The band was initially made up of John Entwistle, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and later joined by Keith Moon. With a musical legacy spanning more than 50 years, and an impressive record of a 100 million albums sold worldwide, over a billion global streams, members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame, the BRIT and GRAMMY Award winning, The Who, are considered by many today as ‘The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World’.

Brought together by The Royal Mint and Bravado, Universal Music Group’s leading merchandise and brand management company, The Who coin is available as limited-edition precious metal proof editions as well.