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Natural History Museum and The Royal Mint launch final coin in The Dinosauria Collection
The Dinosauria Collection is the result of a unique collaboration between the Natural History Museum and The Royal Mint, which has seen dinosaurs featured on official UK 50p coins for the very first time. This awe-inspiring series saw the release of the Megalosaurus coin back in February, closely followed by the Iguanodon coin in March, and the collection now concludes with the release of the Hylaeosaurus coin, bringing together the three creatures that led to the coining of the term ‘dinosaur’ in 1842.
This groundbreaking discovery, made by Sir Richard Owen (founder of the Natural History Museum), sparked a public interest in these creatures and our fascination continues to grow to the present day. The coins were illustrated by renowned paleo-artist Robert Nicholls with the expert guidance of Professor Paul Barrett from the Earth Sciences Department of the Natural History Museum.
Now for the first time ever, augmented reality brings the collection to life via The Royal Mint’s ‘Activate App’, unlocking exclusive content including fascinating facts, animated clips and imagery of the dinosaurs.
Maxine Lister, Head of Licensing, Natural History Museum, says: “We are thrilled to announce the release of the final coin in this fantastic collection. The response to the first two coins has been phenomenal and we’re delighted to be able to now complete the collection, a little later than originally planned, but we hope fans agree that it has been worth the wait. It has been so exciting to see the story of the discovery of dinosaurs celebrated in this way.”
Clare Maclennan, Divisional Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint said, “We are delighted to partner with the Natural History Museum to reveal the final coin in the popular Dinosauria Collection - the Hylaeosaurus 50p coin. This collection also marks a new milestone for The Royal Mint, as it is the first time that we have combined a coin series with augmented reality technology, as we continue to innovate and enrich the experience of coin collecting”.
Available in Brilliant Uncirculated, Silver Proof and Gold Proof versions, the full collection is available online now at www.royalmint.com/dinosaurs
Notes to Editors:
Media contact: Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5654/ +44 (0)7799 690151/ Email: press@nhm.ac.uk
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, The Royal Mint Experience, at its home in Llantrisant, South Wales. The attraction welcomes around 100,000 visitors a year.