United Kingdom: Children’s classic The Chronicles of Narnia features on new gold and silver Proof and colour coins

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The Royal Mint continues its “Classic Children’s Literature” coin series with the release of new Proof gold and silver coins, which feature the works of author C.S. Lewis. The Chronicles of Narnia is a fantasy film series and media franchise based on a series of novels of the same name by Lewis, which revolves around the adventures of children in the world of Narnia. Guided by Aslan, a wise and powerful lion that can speak and is the king of Narnia, Lewis’ stories have enchanted millions of readers over the last fifty years. Those magical events have been chronicled in a total of seven publications, which were written to be read in order of their publication. Lewis dedicated his series of seven children’s books to his goddaughter Lucy Barfield and gave her name to the fictional Lucy Pevensie, who — with her siblings Peter, Susan, and Edmund — are pivotal figures in the series. The books are, from one to seven: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950), Prince Caspian (1951), The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952), The Silver Chair (1953), The Horse and His Boy (1954), The Magician’s Nephew (1955), and The Last Battle (1956). The series is considered a classic of fantasy literature, which has influenced many other works of fantasy over the years. Books from the series have also been adapted several times for radio, television, stage, and film productions and, now, a commemorative coin of the realm.

By combining Royal Mint craftsmanship, innovative minting technology, and colour printing techniques, the reverse side of the seven-sided 50-pence coin, which is designed by Ffion Gwillim, has captured Pauline Baynes’ illustration in exceptional detail and colour. The reverse side has faithfully reproduced in fine detail the original illustration depicting Mr. Tumnus and Lucy walking through the snowy woods in Narnia. A selection of coins in the range also feature colour, bringing both characters to life as part of the coin’s design. This special process requires Royal Mint coin designers to digitally translate Pauline Baynes’ illustrations onto the reverse side of a coin, ensuring that no detail is lost during the process of striking and colour application. Below the primary design is the stylised text THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE.

The obverse of each coin option features the definitive effigy of HM King Charles III, designed by Martin Jennings and introduced onto British commemorative, circulation, and bullion type coinage in 2022. The denomination 50 PENCE and year of release 2023 are included as part of the legend surrounding the King’s likeness.

Denom.	Metal	Weight	Diameter	Quality	Mintage Limit
50 pence	Cupro-nickel	8 g	27.3 mm	Brilliant Unc.	Unlimited
50 pence	Cupro-nickel	8 g	27.3 mm	Brilliant Unc. with applied colour	10,000
50 pence	.925 Silver	8 g	27.3 mm	Proof with applied colour	5,000
50 pence	.9167 Gold	15.5 g	27.3 mm	Proof	100

Both versions of the 50-pence Brilliant Uncirculated cupro-nickel coins are housed in a blister-pak type folder with informative text and illustrations. The sterling silver Proof versions are presented in a custom Perspex/Lucite transparent cube case. The gold Proof coin is encapsulated and presented in a hardwood high-gloss case accompanied by a numbered certificate of authenticity. For additional information about this new collector series, please visit the Royal Mint’s website.

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