Pounds of the Baskervilles: Sherlock gets his own 50p
FANS of Sherlock Holmes are being given the chance to unleash their inner detective. The Royal Mint has released a 50p coin inspired by the fictional sleuth – but you will need a magnifying glass to see its secrets. Commemorating 160 years since author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s birth, it features Holmes’s profile, complete with pipe and deerstalker hat, surrounded by the names of his most popular adventures in lettering so tiny it cannot be read with the naked eye.
Designer Stephen Raw said: ‘The only way to solve “the mystery of the text” is by using that essential piece of equipment always carried by the intrepid sleuth: a magnifying glass.’