| Translate This News In |
|---|
In an effort to mark the 25th anniversary of the release of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling in 1997, the Royal Mint, which produces all of the coinage in the United Kingdom, is releasing a new batch of Harry Potter 50p coins. The book, which was the first in a series of accounts of Harry Potter’s time at the wizarding school Hogwarts, was released by Bloomsbury Publishing.
The Royal Mint announced on its website that it has “struck a variety of bewitching coins featuring a picture of Harry Potter produced by Jim Kay and Ffion Gwillim” to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the publication of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.”
Along with Harry’s visage, the unique Harry Potter-themed coins will also contain images of Queen Elizabeth II and the freshly crowned King Charles III. Additionally, there will be coins with images of Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts University, and the Hogwarts Express.
The Royal Mint used specialised lasers to generate the designs on the coins in order to maintain the highest level of accuracy. According to the website, the collection also includes a few extra rare coins that, when held up to a light, reveal the number 25 and a lightning bolt.
Jim Kay, the author of the fully illustrated edition of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” reportedly told the BBC that the idea of his artwork being on a coin “hasn’t really sank in yet.”
This year will see the release of the first two 50p coins in the series. The King Charles III picture will be on the last two, which will debut the following year.
