Royal Mint launches new collectors coins to honour Sir Elton John, worth up to £65,000
Sir Elton John has been honoured with his very own official UK coin.
The Royal Mint will be selling coins engraved with Sir Elton's distinctive glasses and straw boater hat to commemorate his music career, which spans more than half a century.
The range has been designed by Norwich-based artist Bradley Morgan Johnson who used a musical note design to create round-rimmed frames topped with a hat and bow tie, featuring a Union Jack flag background.
The collectors' coins will be sold for up to nearly £65,000, while a one-off version will be auctioned to raise money for the Elton John Charitable Trust.
Commenting on the design, Sir Elton said: “It really is a fabulous honour to be recognised in this way.
“The last few years have contained some of the most memorable moments of my career, and this is another truly humbling milestone on my journey.”
Designs will be available to purchase from the Royal Mint in gold and silver, with highly collectable editions ranging from £13 for the “Rocket Man” coin, to £64,950 for heavier gold designs.
The high-end coins in this collection include designs showing a pulsating star pattern in the glasses' lens and a piano-patterned edge.
Clare Maclennan, divisional director of commemorative coins and the Royal Mint Experience, said: “Elton John is without a doubt a British music legend and is recognised as one of the most successful singer-songwriters of his generation.
“We are delighted to honour Elton's significant contribution to British music on a UK coin.”
In addition to the coin collection, Sir Elton is also working with the Royal Mint to create a special one-off collector's piece, which will be auctioned for the Elton John Charitable Trust later this year.
The unique coin will help raise vital funds at a time when the wider charity sector has been hit with a reduction in donations.
The collection is the second of the Royal Mint's Music Legends series, which celebrates long-standing British musicians.
In January, the organisation released a commemorative coin to celebrate the British band Queen. The coins detailed the instruments of all four members of the band, including Brian May’s Red Special guitar, John Deacon’s Fender Precision bass, Roger Taylor’s Ludwig bass drum and Freddie Mercury’s Bechstein grand piano.
The coin’s designer Chris Facey also paid tribute to the group’s hit song “Bohemian Rhapsody”, with the keys of the piano on the coin pressed down for the opening notes of the song.
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