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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Business
Sara Odeen-Isbister

Royal Mint releases Harry Potter coins – featuring both Queen Elizabeth and King Charles

The Royal Mint has launched a collection of Harry Potter coins which will initially feature Queen Elizabeth II and later the King.

The coins are being released to mark 25 years since JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - the first in the series - was published.

The first two coins will be released this year and feature the Queen, while the final two will launch next year and feature Charles.

The Royal Mint is expecting high demand for the coins and said its Harry Potter collection will be one of "a small number" that will see a change of portrait during the series.

The first coin in the series depicts Harry Potter himself and is available to buy from the Royal Mint's website.

One of the first two coins will feature Harry himself (PA)

Prices range from £11 for a brilliant uncirculated 50p to £5,215 for a £200 denomination gold Harry Potter coin. A colour version of the Harry Potter 50p is available for £20.

Other coins in the collection will feature the Hogwarts Express, Professor Albus Dumbledore and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Nicola Howell, chief commercial officer at the Royal Mint said: "As the official maker of UK coins, we are delighted to make a spellbinding coin collection to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone.

"The first coin in the collection, celebrating Harry Potter, will be available for collectors and fans to buy from today."

The collection marks 25 years since the first in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published (PA)

Ffion Gwillim, the Royal Mint designer who modelled the artwork onto coins, said: "The Harry Potter illustrations are so iconic and recognisable."

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was first published by Bloomsbury on June 26, 1997 and had an initial run of 500 copies.

JK Rowling was an unknown writer at the time and the manuscript had been rejected by a number of publishers. At 60,000 words it was deemed too long to work as a children's book.

Today the series has sold 500 million copies, making it the best selling book series ever, and has been translated into more than 80 languages.

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