• The Royal Mint has launched its first individual collectable 50p coin of the year bearing King Charles III’s portrait, with the reverse featuring Professor Albus Dumbledore.
• The Professor Albus Dumbledore collectable 50p coin is part of a coin collection introduced in 2022 celebrating the 25^th publishing anniversary of J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone’.
• The Harry Potter collection has performed strongly globally, with collectors and Harry Potter enthusiasts across 86 countries purchasing at least one coin from the range.
• All four coins in the collection feature scenes and characters from the first book in the series illustrated by Jim Kay.
• Customers can secure all four coins in the collection at once from The Royal Mint’s website.

The Royal Mint, official maker of UK coins, has today launched its first collectable 50p of the year featuring the Professor Albus Dumbledore. The collectable coin is also the first 50p in The Royal Mint’s spellbinding collection to have King Charles III’s portrait appear on the obverse (heads) side of the coin with the first two coins Harry Potter and the Hogwarts Express featuring the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Royal Mint’s Harry Potter collection will be one of a small number that will see a change of portrait during the series. The first two coins in the collection will feature the portrait of Her Late Majesty, and the final two coins will feature the official portrait of King Charles III. A change of portrait during the series is a rare occasion, making these set of coins highly collectable. 

The Professor Albus Dumbledore collectable 50p coin is part of a larger Harry Potter collection celebrating 25 years since the novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling was first published in the UK in 1997 by Bloomsbury Publishing. Other coins in the collection feature the wizard himself Harry Potter, the Hogwarts Express and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on their own individual coin.

The Harry Potter coin collection has already received a popular response globally, with collectors and Harry Potter enthusiasts across 86 countries having bought at least one coin in the range. The Royal Mint has seen a strong response from younger families and millennials (28%) purchasing coins in the Harry Potter collection directly from the Mint, linking with those who grew up reading the series of books and finding nostalgia with each coin in the series.

Rebecca Morgan, Director of Collector Services at The Royal Mint said, “We are delighted to be continuing our spellbinding Harry Potter coin collection with Professor Albus Dumbledore featuring on his very own 50p. The Royal Mint’s Harry Potter coin collection has seen a popular response among collectors worldwide, not only for the books being a global phenomenon, but due to the collection being one of a small number that will see a change of portrait during the series. The 50p coin featuring Professor Albus Dumbledore marks this change of portrait, with His Majesty King Charles III’s official coin portrait now appearing for the first time in the series. This collection of coins serves as a permanent reminder of the fascinating transition from Britain’s longest reigning monarch to His Majesty the King’s first appearance on UK coinage.”

Combining traditional minting techniques with technology, The Royal Mint’s craftspeople have faithfully reproduced Jim Kay’s illustrations in colour for the first time on official UK coins. Many of the coins in the range also feature an enchanting ‘latent feature’ which rotates in the light to reveal a lightning bolt and the number ‘25’ to mark the anniversary year*.  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.

Available on a range of denominations including a 50p, all four coins have been modelled by Ffion Gwillim at The Royal Mint, which feature the work of Jim Kay, the artist who created the first fully illustrated edition of this Harry Potter story.

The coin series has been created in partnership with Bloomsbury Publishing, The Blair Partnership and Warner Bros, Consumer Products. The third coin in the collection featuring Professor Albus Dumbledore is available to purchase from The Royal Mint’s website with customers able to secure all four coins at once: Harry Potter | The Royal Mint

* This excludes the ¼ Oz denomination due to the limited size of the surface

 

ENDS

The Professor Albus Dumbledore 50p coin Specifications

Coin title	The Professor Albus Dumbledore 2023 UK 50p Brilliant Uncirculated Coin	The Professor Albus Dumbledore 2023 UK 50p Colour Brilliant Uncirculated Coin	The Professor Albus Dumbledore 2023 UK 50p Colour Silver Proof Coin	The Professor Albus Dumbledore2023 UK 50p Gold Proof Coin
Denomination	50p	50p	50p	50p
Issuing Authority	UK	UK	UK	UK
Alloy	Cupro-nickel	Cupro-nickel	925 Ag	916.7 Au
Weight	8.00g	8.00g	8.00g	15.50g
Diameter	27.30mm	27.30mm	27.30mm	27.30mm
Obverse Designer	Martin Jennings	Martin Jennings	Martin Jennings	Martin Jennings
Reverse Designer	Jim Kay / Ffion Gwillim	Jim Kay / Ffion Gwillim	Jim Kay / Ffion Gwillim	Jim Kay / Ffion Gwillim
Features	Microtext - 25 YEARS OF MAGIC Latent Feature - 25 and lightning bolt	Microtext - 25 YEARS OF MAGIC Latent Feature - 25 and lightning bolt	Microtext - 25 YEARS OF MAGIC Latent Feature - 25 and lightning bolt	Microtext - 25 YEARS OF MAGIC Latent Feature - 25 and lightning bolt
Quality	Brilliant Uncirculated	Brilliant Uncirculated	Proof	Proof
Limited Edition Presentation	Unlimited	Unlimited	15,000	300
RRP	£11.00	£20.00	£69.50	£1,195.00

 

The Professor Albus Dumbledore Ounces Specifications

Coin title	The Professor Albus Dumbledore 2023 UK 1oz Silver Proof Coin	The Professor Albus Dumbledore 2023 UK 2oz Silver Proof Coin	The Professor Albus Dumbledore 2023 UK 5oz Silver Proof Coin	The Professor Albus Dumbledore 2023 UK 1/4oz Gold Proof Coin	The Professor Albus Dumbledore 2023 UK 2oz Gold Proof Coin
Denomination	£2	£5	£10	£25	£200
Issuing Authority	UK	UK	UK	UK	UK
Alloy	999 Ag	999 Ag	999 Ag	999.9 Au	999.9 Au
Weight	31.21g	62.86g	156.30g	7.80g	62.42g
Diameter	38.61mm	40.00mm	65.00mm	22.00mm	40.00mm
Obverse Designer	Martin Jennings	Martin Jennings	Martin Jennings	Martin Jennings	Martin Jennings
Reverse Designer	Jim Kay / Ffion Gwillim	Jim Kay / Ffion Gwillim	Jim Kay / Ffion Gwillim	Jim Kay / Ffion Gwillim	Jim Kay / Ffion Gwillim
Features	Microtext - 25 YEARS OF MAGIC Latent Feature - 25 and lightning bolt	Microtext - 25 YEARS OF MAGIC Latent Feature - 25 and lightning bolt	Microtext - 25 YEARS OF MAGIC Latent Feature - 25 and lightning bolt	Microtext - 25 YEARS OF MAGIC	Microtext - 25 YEARS OF MAGIC Latent Feature - 25 and lightning bolt
Edge Inscription	NITWIT! BLUBBER! ODDMENT! TWEAK!	-	-	-	-
Quality	Proof	Proof	Proof	Proof	Proof
Limited Edition Presentation	5,000	500	300	500	50
RRP	£99.50	£190.00	£480.00	£725.00	£5,215.00

 

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.

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