New Harry Potter series coin first to feature King Charles' portrait

The new coin is part of a collection celebrating 25 years since the first novel by accalimed author JK Rowling was published in 1997.

A new 50 pence coin released by the UK’s Royal Mint on Thursday features Professor Albus Dumbledore and becomes the first in its Harry Potter collectibles series to include the portrait of King Charles III.

The new 50 pence coin is part of a larger Harry Potter collection celebrating 25 years since the novel ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ by bestselling Scottish author JK Rowling was first published in the UK in 1997.

The first two coins in the series feature the lead character Harry Potter and the book’s Hogwarts Express train, with the portrait of late Queen Elizabeth II on its obverse or heads side.

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“The Royal Mint’s Harry Potter coin collection has seen a popular response among collectors worldwide, not only for the books being a global phenomenon, but due to the collection being one of a small number that will see a change of [royal] portrait during the series,” said Rebecca Morgan, Director of Collector Services at the Royal Mint.

“The 50 p coin featuring Professor Albus Dumbledore marks this change of portrait, with His Majesty King Charles III’s official coin portrait now appearing for the first time in the series. This collection of coins serves as a permanent reminder of the fascinating transition from Britain’s longest reigning monarch to His Majesty the King’s first appearance on UK coinage,” she said.

The Royal Mint, as the official coin maker of the UK, said its Harry Potter coin collection has received a popular response globally, with collectors and Harry Potter enthusiasts across 86 countries having bought at least one coin in the range.

Available on a range of denominations including a 50 pence, the coins have been modelled by Ffion Gwillim at the Royal Mint, featuring the work of Jim Kay – the artist who created the first fully illustrated edition of this Harry Potter story.

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Combining traditional minting techniques with technology, the Royal Mint’s craftspeople have reproduced Kay’s illustrations in colour for the first time on official UK coins.

Many of the coins in the range also feature a “latent feature”, which rotates in the light to reveal a lightning bolt and the number “25” to mark the anniversary year of the Harry Potter series of books.

An advanced picosecond laser was used to imprint the intricate design onto coin-making tools to ensure accuracy, and create an additional, special effect to further enhance the coin’s design, the Royal Mint said.

The collectible coins in the series are available to purchase from the Royal Mint website and vary between 11 pounds and 1,195 pounds based on the specification of the alloy.