UK issues a commemorative coin celebrating rock band Queen - here’s how to get one and how much they cost

The rock band made history appearing on the coin (Photo: The Royal Mint)The rock band made history appearing on the coin (Photo: The Royal Mint)
The rock band made history appearing on the coin (Photo: The Royal Mint)

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Rock band Queen have made history as the first British band to appear alongside Queen Elizabeth II on a commemorative coin.

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The Queen coins from the Royal Mint are here to celebrate the legacy of the iconic band and kick off the Royal Mint’s Music Legends series.

Queen coins

The Royal Mint has released a line of Queen coins, celebrating the success of one of Britain’s most iconic bands.

The Royal Mint said in a statement: “Known for pushing the boundaries with their own unique style and continually reinventing their approach to music, Queen’s layered sound and flamboyant anthems continue to influence a new generation of musicians decades after they were formed.”

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A video featuring Queen guitarist Brian May showcasing the coin can be viewed on The Royal Mint’s YouTube channel.

May opens the video by holding up the coin and saying: “This is a ‘who would’ve thought it?’ moment.”

Showing the coin to the camera, May states: “On the one side you have The Queen, and on the other side, you have Queen.”

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Design

The coin commemorates all four members of Queen, referencing each of their contributions to the band with pictures of each member’s instrument.

At the top of the coin is the Bechstein grand piano, which Freddie Mercury played for Bohemian Rhapsody. The four opening notes of Bohemian Rhapsody are pressed down on the keys of the piano.

Also included in the design is Brian May’s Red Special guitar, John Deacon’s Fender Precision Bass and Roger Taylor’s Ludwig bass drum, which is decorated with the Queen crest, as it would have been during the early days of the band.

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The Queen logo takes centre stage and is underscored by Freddie Mercury’s signature mic stick.

The designer behind the coin was Chris Facey, a product manager at The Royal Mint. He studied at the University of Glamorgan, where he set up his own product design consultancy. Chris joined The Royal Mint in 2018 and this coin marks his first design.

Regarding his design, Chris said: “I love the band’s creative fearlessness and hope I’ve been able to capture some sense of it in my design.”

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What is the Music Legends series?

The Music Legends series is a series of coins celebrating iconic British recording artists.

The Royal Mint website teases the series with a short video showing a person putting a record into a record player and setting the needle.

A graphic then pops up with the words: “Music Legends. Coming soon.”

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The page reads: “Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for the most iconic British acts ever to step on stage.”

If you’re interested in the Music Legends series, you can sign up for alerts on the Royal Mint website, providing your name and email address.

Where to buy them

You can choose from eight different coins and different packaging designs on the Royal Mint website here.

How much are the coins?

This is the price list for each of the individual coins:

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£5 brilliant uncirculated coin - £13 (unlimited)£5 brilliant uncirculated coin, Hot Space cover - £15 (limited edition, 25,000)£5 brilliant uncirculated coin, A Kind of Magic cover - £15 (limited edition, 25,000)£5 brilliant uncirculated coin, Live cover - £15 (limited edition, 25,000)Half ounce silver proof coin - £60 (limited edition, 17,500)One ounce silver proof coin - £90 (limited edition, 7,500)Quarter ounce gold proof coin - £510 (limited edition, 1,250)One ounce gold proof coin - £2,020 (limited edition, 300)

The brilliant uncirculated coins are available in limited numbers in three exclusive packs, which include a poster and will only be available to buy from The Royal Mint.