The Who, will be celebrated by the Royal Mint with a new commemorative coin.

By Simon Anders

On May 24, 2021

In News

THE ROYAL MINT PLACES THE WHO CENTRE STAGE ON A NEW RANGE OF COLLECTABLE COINS

High resolution images of the coin: DOWNLOAD

Images of co-founder and lead singer, Roger Daltrey, with the coin: DOWNLOAD

B-roll footage: DOWNLOAD

The Royal Mint has launched a new collectable coin range in honour of the iconic British band, The Who.
The coin’s dynamic design includes some of the most famed symbols from the band’s live and loud performances all of which form part of a pinball table in tribute to the single Pinball Wizard and album Tommy.
A number of coins will feature a special ‘shockwave’ effect, radiating from the speaker – elevating the detail of the coin. This effect has been developed in honour of The Who’s record-breaking loud concert – a record that was held for a decade.
To celebrate the launch of the coin, co-founder and lead singer of The Who, Roger Daltrey, visited The Royal Mint to strike one of the very first coins.

Roger Daltrey, Co-founder and Lead Singer of The Who commented, “It’s an honour to have a coin produced to celebrate The Who’s musical legacy. The coin’s design captures the true essence of the band and what we represent.”

Pete Townshend, Lead Guitarist of The Who added, “I am delighted that the band’s work is being recognised by this fantastic range of coins from The Royal Mint.”

London, England, 24 May, 2021 – The Royal Mint, the Original Maker of UK coins, has today launched a new range of collectable coins celebrating the iconic British band – The Who. To celebrate the launch of the coin, co-founder and lead singer of The Who, Roger Daltrey, visited The Royal Mint to strike one of the very first coins, giving the band’s seal of approval on the new coin and its design.

The Who collectable coin is the fourth in The Royal Mint’s ‘Music Legends’ series, and follows coins in honour of Queen, Elton John and David Bowie. The coin’s dynamic design includes some of the most iconic symbols from the band’s live and loud performances – including a union flag, Mod logo and speaker-smashing Rickenbacker guitar. Together, the symbols on the coin form a pinball table, a nod to the single Pinball Wizard and album Tommy, one of the band’s most famous creations. With the latest colour printing technology, elements of the coin have been digitally printed to showcase the vibrant red, white and blue of the band’s emblem.

Using the latest innovative technology and manufacturing techniques, a number of coins will feature a special ‘shockwave’ effect, radiating from the speaker – elevating the detail of the coin. Designers and craftspeople at the Mint have developed this effect in honour of The Who’s record-breaking loud concert – a record that was held for a decade.

Clare Maclennan, Divisional Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint said, “The Who are an iconic British band with an incredible musical legacy, so it felt right to honour them with an official UK coin. The Who coin is the latest in our show stopping Music Legends series, which celebrates legendary British artists through original new designs. It was a privilege to have Roger Daltrey visit the Mint to strike one of the first coins and meet the team of makers that have created this wonderful design. Our Music Legends series is engaging new generations of coin collectors, and we hope this design will become a cherished part of fan’s memorabilia.”

Roger Daltrey, Co-founder and Lead Singer of The Who said, “It’s an honour to have a coin produced to celebrate The Who’s musical legacy. The coin’s design captures the true essence of the band and what we represent. It was a fantastic moment being able to strike one of the very first pieces in the collection and see the range of technologies and processes involved in the making of the coin.”

Pete Townshend, Lead Guitarist of The Who said, “I am delighted that the band’s work is being recognised by this fantastic range of coins from The Royal Mint.”

The Who began with three schoolboys who all shared a love of music, from jazz and skiffle, to rock and rhythm & blues. The band was initially made up of John Entwistle, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and later joined by Keith Moon. With a musical legacy spanning more than 50 years, and an impressive record of a 100 million albums sold worldwide, over a billion global streams, members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame, the BRIT and GRAMMY Award winning, The Who, are considered by many today as ‘The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World’.

Brought together by The Royal Mint and Bravado, Universal Music Group’s leading merchandise and brand management company, The Who coin is available as limited-edition precious metal proof editions as well as a Brilliant Uncirculated edition. The Brilliant Uncirculated coin is also available in colour exclusive to The Royal Mint. View the full collection on The Royal Mint’s website www.royalmint.com/the-who

The Who 2021 Gold Proof Commemorative Coin Specifications

Coin title

The Who 2021 UK Quarter-Ounce Gold Proof Coin

The Who 2021 UK One Ounce Gold Proof Coin

The Who 2021 UK Two Ounce Gold Proof Coin

The Who 2021 UK Five Ounce Gold Proof Coin

The Who 2021 UK Kilo Gold Proof Coin

Denomination

£25

£100

£200

£500

£1,000

Issuing Authority

Alloy

999.9 Au Fine Gold

999 Au Fine Gold

Weight

7.80g

31.21g

62.42g

156.295g

1005.00g

Diameter

22.00mm

32.69mm

40.00mm

50.00mm

100.00mm

Obverse Designer

Jody Clark

Reverse Designer

Henry Gray

Quality

Proof

Edge Lettering

–

Laser Edge Lettering

Additional Features

–

Shockwave effect

Maximum Coin Mintage

1010

360

150

RRP

£595.00

£2,315.00

£4,530.00

£11,225.00

£68,380.00

The Who 2021 Silver Proof Commemorative Coin Specifications

Coin title

The Who 2021 UK Half Ounce Silver Proof Coin

The Who 2021 UK One Ounce Silver Proof Coin

The Who 2021 UK Two Ounce Silver Proof Coin

The Who 2021 UK Five Ounce Silver Proof Coin

Denomination

£1

£2

£5

£10

Issuing Authority

Alloy

999 Ag Fine Silver

Weight

15.71g

31.21g

62.42g

156.295g

Diameter

27.00mm

38.61mm

40.00mm

65.00mm

Obverse Designer

Jody Clark

Reverse Designer

Henry Gray

Quality

Proof

Edge Lettering

–

PINBALL WIZZARD

–

Additional Features

–

Shockwave effect

Maximum Coin Mintage

10,010

8110

550

500

RRP

£65.00

£97.50

£195.00

£520.00

The Who 2021 UK Brilliant Uncirculated Commemorative Coin Specifications

Coin title

The Who 2021 UK £5 Brilliant Uncirculated Coin

The Who 2021 UK £5 Brilliant Uncirculated Coin – Colour

Denomination

£5

Issuing Authority

Alloy

Cupro-Nickel

Weight

28.28g

Diameter

38.61mm

Obverse Designer

Jody Clark

Reverse Designer

Henry Gray

Quality

Brilliant Uncirculated

Edge Lettering

–

Additional Features

Colour

Limited Edition Presentation

Unlimited

10,000

RRP

£13.00

£22.50

ENDS

Media enquiries

The Who/ Universal Music Group / Bravado enquiries: Sharlotte.Ritchie@umusic.com & James.Murtagh-Hopkins@umusic.com

The Royal Mint Press Office: 0845 600 5018 (calls cost 5p per minute) or email press.office@royalmint.com

Images

The Royal Mint retains copyright ownership © of all images. These may only be used for editorial purposes and cannot be sold or used for other marketing purposes without the permission of The Royal Mint.

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 and has 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.

Royal Mint, The Who

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