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The Royal Mint has announced a special charity auction being organised in conjunction with Elton John to raise money for the Elton John UK Charitable Foundation. To mark the singer’s iconic career, while at the same time raise funds for the Elton John UK Charitable Foundation, the Royal Mint will auction a one-of-a-kind bespoke silver medallion. The piece was commissioned exclusively for the foundation and was hand-engraved by the Royal Mint’s Chief Engraver Gordon Summers, as well as applying state of the art laser technology to create the intricate design.
In 1992, Elton established the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and today, after years of fundraising, advocacy, and funding innovative grants, the foundation is the sixth largest independent AIDS funder globally. To further his charitable activities, the Elton John Charitable Trust (EJCT) was set up in 2007 to allow Elton John and David Furnish to make charitable contributions outside the world of HIV/AIDS. Since its formation, the EJCT has supported over 100 charities across a multitude of causes. For both his philanthropic and music contributions, Elton has been acknowledged with a knighthood from HM Queen Elizabeth II, and, most recently, Elton received the Legion d’Honneur from French President Macron.
The reverse side of this unique medallion features the titles of Elton’s best-loved songs in a spiral motif, including “Rocket Man,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” and “Crocodile Rock,” just a few of Elton’s most loved and best-remembered songs. 2021 also marks the 50th anniversary of Elton John’s iconic album Madman across the Water, which featured hits “Tiny Dancer” and “Levon.” In the centre is a facsimile of the legendary singer’s autograph. The obverse side is that of a replica of Elton John’s 2020 UK coin design which was issued in a wide variety of options such as pure gold, sterling silver, and cupro-nickel. The medallion weighs approximately five kilos in fine silver, and measures 185 millimetres. The unique piece features gold plating applied by the renowned Jewellers Asprey located on Bond Street, London, and includes a special edge inscription ELTON JOHN UK CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. A custom Perspex frame has been crafted to hold the medal and enhance both sides while viewing.
| Item |
Metal |
Weight | Diameter | Quality |
Maximum Mintage |
| Medal |
.999 Silver |
5000 g | 185 mm | Selective gold plating |
Unique |
In response to the online auction of the pure silver mega-medal, Elton John commented:
I’m delighted that the Royal Mint has created this amazing piece for auction and that the funds will go directly to the people supported by our foundation. It’s beautiful and really impressive and also humbling to see so many of my songs depicted in this way. Seeing my autograph engraved so precisely on the medal just goes to show the detail that’s gone into this piece — it really is a thing of beauty and I’m proud to put my name to it.
The auction will take place online and open from Wednesday the 21st April and will continue until Thursday the 6th May. Potential bidders can register on the Royal Mint’s website and place their bids from this day. The opening bid will start at £12,000 (U.S. $16,725) and all profits will go towards supporting the young musicians and crew affected by the challenges currently facing the live industry due to the ongoing pandemic. As a long-standing advocate for emerging talent, Elton continues to work with the government, music industry, and the artistic community to find positive solutions to these pressing issues. Funds will be distributed to relevant organisations via Elton John’s UK Charitable Foundation. The auction is being held with support from Bidpath, an online auction platform that has worked with brands globally to deliver user-friendly and highly secure auction technology.
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