Beatles legend Paul McCartney is being honoured in a specially minted British coin collection.
The Royal Mint, which has struck the coins of monarchs from Alfred the Great in the ninth century through to King Charles III, revealed on Friday that it is launching a McCartney coin collection for collectors to buy.
On one side of the coins, as is custom, will be the king. On the other, it will be all about McCartney’s career in the wake of the Beatles split in 1970.
The Royal Mint said the range will come in a variety of finishes as well as coloured editions. The most valuable one will be the 2-ounce gold proof coin, which will have a face value of £200 (NZ$433), but will go on sale at a recommended retail price of £5,890 (NZ$12,780).
Though legal tender, but with the price differential, it’s unlikely — if not irrational — for anyone using the coins in everyday to use them to pay for, say, a McCartney concert.
The coins feature McCartney’s iconic Magic Piano, a multicoloured upright he first used in 1967 while still in arguably the greatest band of all, with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. A replica was made for McCartney’s 1989/1990 world tour and has been used in subsequent tours.
There are other references too, including piano notes chosen by McCartney, his famous Höfner Violin Bass guitar, the logo of his post-Beatles band, Wings, as well as his signature.
“This feels like a huge honour,” McCartney said. “It’s not anything I would have ever expected to happen when I was a kid.”
The Royal Mint also said it has created a special edition plectrum-shaped version of the coin to gift to the 82-year-old McCartney, who in his early days played with pennies as guitar picks.
The coins are part of the Royal Mint’s Music Legends collection, which also features the likes of David Bowie, George Michael and the Rolling Stones.
“Our coins recognise the greatest icons and events in British history, so it’s fitting that Paul McCartney’s remarkable music career is now celebrated on an official UK coin,” said Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at The Royal Mint.
“What makes this coin extra special is that Paul has been involved throughout the design process,” she added.
The Royal Mint also said that it will auction a signed, gold edition of McCartney’s coin. The bespoke gold coin weighs five kilograms and took more than 250 hours to make, including three days of hand polishing. It was signed by McCartney during his 2024 Got Back tour in Paris and will be auctioned alongside four silver five-kilogram editions.
