Royal Mint Releases Harry Potter-Themed Coins To Celebrate 25 Years Of The Series

The Royal Mint, which makes all the coins in the United Kingdom, is bringing out a new set of Harry Potter 50p coins in a bid to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the publication of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' by JK Rowling in 1997. The book was published by Bloomsbury Publishing and was the first in the series of stories detailing Harry Potter's life at the wizard school Hogwarts. 

"To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the publication of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', we have struck a range of spellbinding coins featuring a portrait of Harry Potter created by Jim Kay and Ffion Gwillim," the Royal Mint wrote on its website. 

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The special Harry Potter-themed coins will feature not just Harry's face, but will also have portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and the recently proclaimed King Charles III on it. There are also going to be some coins featuring Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts School, and the Hogwarts Express.

The Royal Mint created the designs on the coins using special lasers in order to keep the design as accurate as possible. As per the website, there are also a few extra special coins in the collection which - when put under a bright light - feature a lightning bolt and the number 25. 

As per the BBC, Jim Kay, who created the fully illustrated version of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', said that his artwork on a coin "hasn't really sunk in yet". 

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The first two 50p coins in the series are set to launch this year. The final two will launch next year and will feature the portrait of King Charles III. 

The Royal Mint said that it is expecting a high demand for the coins, but it also added that the Harry Potter collection will be one of a "small number" that will have a change of portrait during the series.