All change! Interest in new 50p saurs as colour coins unveiled
A RANGE of 50p coins is to be released to celebrate Britain’s contribution to the discovery of dinosaurs.
The collection marks a milestone for the Royal Mint, as it features “augmented reality technology”. The Dinosauria Collection’s Brilliant Uncirculated edition also uses the latest colour printing techniques to vividly show the megalosaurus, iguanodon and hylaeosaurus. Experts at the Natural History Museum worked with the Royal Mint to best show the creatures. After receiving the coin, collectors can scan the packaging into an app to unearth facts, clips and images. Clare Maclennan, divisional director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, said: “As one of the nation’s most loved tourist attractions remains closed, we are pleased to partner with the Natural History Museum to bring dinosaurs to life from the comfort of your home.
“It is the first time that the Royal Mint has combined augmented reality with a coin series as we continue to innovate and enrich the experience of coin collecting.”
The names of two leading palaeontologists are also on the coins.
Megalosaurus was named by William Buckland in 1824, after partial lower jaw, vertebrae and limb bones of the animal were discovered in several Oxfordshire quarries.
And in 1825, Gideon Mantell named iguanodon from remains found near his Sussex home.
He also unearthed the remains of hylaeosaurus, which was a four-legged armoured dinosaur.