• The Royal Mint has unveiled the first coin design in its new collection which celebrates the 40^th anniversary of Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi™.
• The coin features characters R2-D2™ and C-3PO™ inside the Millennium Falcon, as well as a special lenticular feature relating to the iconic duo.
• Star Wars™ fans across the world tuned in as The Royal Mint hosted an event to reveal the coin design for the first time.

4^th July 2023: The Royal Mint has unveiled the first coin design in its new Star Wars™ collection globally, as part of a coin reveal event from its visitor attraction, The Royal Mint Experience in Llantrisant, South Wales.

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.

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.

Rebecca Morgan, Director of Collector Services at The Royal Mint said: “We are delighted to launch an out-of-this-world collection to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. We are excited to enthuse new and existing coin collectors across the world, as well as Star Wars’ thriving fan base both in the United Kingdom, and internationally, with the launch of this collection. The collection features beloved character duos from the Star Wars franchise, and the team at The Royal Mint have worked to faithfully recreate the iconic R2-D2 and C-3PO, the first Star Wars characters to feature on coins in the collection.”

The first coin in the collection celebrating the iconic characters from Star Wars, which comes in a 50p and ounce range, will be available to purchase at 9am (BST) 10^th July via The Royal Mint’s website. Customers will also have the opportunity to secure all four coins on the official launch day too.

Additional Notes for Editors

*Why Over Half of Brits Love Collecting | The Royal Mint

ENDS

About The Royal Mint

With a history spanning more than 1,100 years, The Royal Mint is Britain’s oldest companies and the original maker of UK coins.  Today The Royal Mint is a premium British maker, providing carefully crafted coins and precious metal products for the UK and overseas.  Based in Llantrisant, South Wales it has three main focuses as a business: Currency, Consumer (collectable and rare, historic coins) and precious metals investment.

Collecting with The Royal Mint:

Every coin tells a story, from a rare gold Sovereign to a Peter Rabbit™ 50p coin. The Royal Mint aims to inspire collectors young and old and nurture a love of collecting through unique designs and popular themes. As the maker of UK coinage, we have unparalleled knowledge about coins, from the historic coins of our past, through to the collectable commemorative coins of today.  Sourcing and authenticating pre decimal coins is a natural fit for The Royal Mint as we struck each one.

Investing with The Royal Mint:

As a world authority on precious metals, The Royal Mint has traded and made products in gold and silver for centuries. Since launching its designated precious metals investment arm six years ago, The Royal Mint has grown rapidly to become the home of gold in the UK – increasing its market share and becoming the largest producer of bullion coins in Britain. As well as offering physical precious metal investment options in the form of bars and coins, The Royal Mint also offers a range of digital investment options including DigiGold, Little Treasures, designed for children, and Gold for Pensions

Celebrating with The Royal Mint:

For over a thousand years The Royal Mint has marked the moments that changed the world on coins - from coronations to conflict, from commemorations to celebrations. The designs are captured on commemorative coins, minted in a range of metals.  Commemorative coins do not always enter circulation but give collectors the chance to purchase coins to keep and cherish.  Recent themes have included David Bowie, Winnie the Pooh, Decimalisation and Team GB. Each commemorative coin is carefully struck up to three times in order to create a superbly detailed finish, and ensuring each one meets the standards The Royal Mint is famous for. 

The Royal Mint Experience

The Royal Mint opened its popular visitor centre, The Royal Mint Experience, at its home in Llantrisant, South Wales in 2016. Since opening the award-winning attraction has welcomed around 400,000 visitors through its doors and is the place to explore the 1,100-year history of coins.

Images

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