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Natural History Museum launches dinosaur coin collection with The Royal Mint
The Natural History Museum has partnered with The Royal Mint to create The Dinosauria Collection, a new series of coins that celebrate Britain’s contribution to the discovery of dinosaurs. The first time a dinosaur has featured on an official UK coin, the collection features Megalosaurus, Iguanodon and Hylaeosaurus, the three creatures that led renowned anatomist Sir Richard Owen to coin the term ‘dinosaur’ in 1842.
Owen was the first to discover that the remains of all three species shared common characteristics. This groundbreaking conclusion sparked a public interest in these creatures and our fascination continues to grow to the present day. Based on current understanding and with the expert guidance of Prof. Paul Barrett from the Earth Sciences Department of the Natural History Museum, the coin designs depict a scientifically accurate reconstruction of the dinosaur and the environment in which it lived.
Maxine Lister, Head of Licensing, Natural History Museum, says: “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to work with The Royal Mint to bring this fabulous collection to life. We are very excited to see the story of the discovery of dinosaurs celebrated in this way. This collection is particularly poignant given that Sir Richard Owen, who coined the term dinosaur, was also the founder of the Museum.’
Clare Maclennan, Divisional Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint said, ‘We are thrilled to be working alongside the Natural History Museum to launch a new series of commemorative 50p coins featuring Megalosaurus, Iguanodon and Hylaeosaurus. We begin the series with Megalosaurus, with the coin’s design being a scientifically accurate representation of the dinosaur and the environment it lived in.’
Available in Brilliant Uncirculated, Silver Proof and Gold Proof versions, the full collection is available online now at https://www.royalmint.com/
About the Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is both a world-leading science research centre and the most visited natural history museum in Europe. With a vision of a future in which both people and the planet thrive, it is uniquely positioned to be a powerful champion for balancing humanity’s needs with those of the natural world.
It is custodian of one of the world’s most important scientific collections comprising over 80 million specimens. The scale of this collection enables researchers from all over the world to document how species have and continue to respond to environmental changes - which is vital in helping predict what might happen in the future and informing future policies and plans to help the planet.
The Museum’s 300 scientists continue to represent one of the largest groups in the world studying and enabling research into every aspect of the natural world. Their science is contributing critical data to help the global fight to save the future of the planet from the major threats of climate change and biodiversity loss through to finding solutions such as the sustainable extraction of natural resources.
The Museum uses its enormous global reach and influence to meet its mission to create advocates for the planet - to inform, inspire and empower everyone to make a difference for nature. We welcome over five million visitors each year, our digital output reaches hundreds of thousands of people in over 200 countries each month and our touring exhibitions have been seen by around 30 million people in the last 10 years.
About The Royal Mint
The Royal Mint has an unbroken history of minting British coinage dating back over 1,100 years. Based in the Tower of London for over 500 years, by 1812 The Royal Mint had moved out of the Tower to premises on London’s Tower Hill. In 1967 the building of a new Royal Mint began on its current site in South Wales, UK, to accommodate the minting of UK decimal coinage.
Today, The Royal Mint is the world’s largest export mint, supplying coins to the UK and overseas countries.
The Royal Mint has also diversified into a number of other complementary businesses, building on the values that have been at the heart of the organisation throughout its history - authenticity, security, precious metals, craftsmanship and design:
Precious metals
Throughout history The Royal Mint’s name has been synonymous with precious metals and bullion. The organisation trades physical and digital precious metal worldwide via www.royalmintbullion.com and a global network of distributor partners.
Consumer coin division
The organisation runs a thriving commemorative coin business, gifting, and a collector services division retailing historic coins, an authentication and valuation service and secure storage.
The Royal Mint Experience
The Royal Mint entered the tourism business in 2016 when it opened its popular visitor centre at its home in Llantrisant, South Wales. The attraction welcomes around 100,000 visitors a year.