AVID coin collectors can today add to their collection, as a brand new 50p featuring Harry Potter has been launched.
The Royal Mint collection has been unveiled to celebrate 25 years since the first novel was released.
Harry Potter 2022 UK 50p Colour Brilliant Uncirculated Coin reverse
It 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.
Coins featuring the King will be released next year.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published in 1997 and sold in 120million copies.
The first coin features the image of the famous orphan sporting his round glasses, floppy hair and lightning scar.
It is the first of four coins from the Royal Mint modelled by Ffion Gwillim, which feature the work of Jim Kay, the artist who illustrated the first book.
The other coins will feature the Hogwarts Express, Albus Dumbledore and Hogwarts.
These are uncirculated commemorative coins, so you have to buy them from the Royal Mint if you want to add one to your collection.
From 9am today, four variations of the special 50p coin are on sale, with the starting at £11 for a brilliant uncirculated version.
The prices then range up to £1,195 for a gold proof coin.
There are several different types of coins you can buy from the Royal Mint.
Circulated coins are the ones you’ll see in your shop change.
Brilliant uncirculated coins are of a higher standard than circulating and bullion coins.
The machines used to strike these coins are polished and finished by hand.
Proof coins are the highest quality coins produced by the Royal Mint and are all hand-finished.
Bullion coins are made from gold and silver and are usually used as an investment that aims to retain a certain value over time.
Some coins in the Harry Potter range also feature an enchanting “latent feature”, which rotates in the light to reveal a lightning bolt and the number 25, marking the anniversary year.
Nicola Howell, chief commercial officer at The Royal Mint, said: “As the official maker of UK coins, we are delighted to make a spellbinding coin collection to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
“The collection is expected to be in high demand, as it is amongst a small amount which will see a portrait change during the series.”
Jim Kay, illustrator and designer of the Harry Potter coin collection commented on producing the coin design: “It hasn’t really sunk in yet.
“It is the same for most aspects of publishing – because you are on your own all of the time in a studio, none of it quite seems real until you see the book on a shelf in a shop.”
The coin series has been created in partnership with Bloomsbury Publishing, The Blair Partnership and Warner Bros, Consumer Products.
The first coin in the collection celebrating Harry Potter is available to purchase from The Royal Mint’s website.
Earlier this year a coin showing Kanga and Roo from Winnie the Pooh was released.
And it’s not just characters who appear on coins either, with David Bowie and Alan Turing among the famous faces to appear on the currency.
