06 January 2025
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Coin collector or not, you can’t deny that Paul McCartney is one of the most influential music artists and songwriters of all time. Now, for the first time ever, Paul McCartney takes centre stage on his very own £5 coin collection from The Royal Mint.
Musical Legend Paul McCartney to appear on a £5 coin
The coin’s reverse design by the Osborne Ross agency is a numismatic tribute to this national treasure. Coin collectors will be delighted to know that positioned in the centre of the design is the Liverpudlian’s signature, with ‘Paul’ appearing as he writes it and ‘McCartney’ beneath it in block capitals. Meanwhile, Paul McCartney’s iconic, left-handed Höfner violin bass features above the text, complete with the Wings logo gracing the headstock, and the base of the design features the keyboard of a piano. The background of the design will be familiar to coin collectors and fans of The Beatles, with the unmistakable psychedelia of the singer-songwriter’s iconic ‘Magic Piano’ providing the background for the overall design.
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Special Edition Paul McCartney Plectrum Coin: A Sustainable Masterpiece from Royal Mint
Excitingly for coin collectors, the Royal Mint has also created a special edition plectrum-shaped version of the coin to gift to Paul. The special edition is Inspired by Paul McCartney’s use of pennies as guitar picks in the early days. The one-off plectrum has been produced using sustainable gold, recovered from e-waste at the Royal Mint’s factory in South Wales.
Is the Paul McCartney £5 coin limited edition?
Most importantly coin collectors should know that the Paul McCartney £5 coin is available in limited-edition, precious-metal proof finishes, brilliant uncirculated and colour versions. In 2021, following a medallic collaboration with the Royal Mail, steps were taken to commemorate Paul McCartney’s musical talents when the mint reached out to his team. From there, discussions were held, concepts and designs were broached, and the wheels were soon in motion to turn this idea into a reality. To create the coin, the mint worked directly with Paul McCartney’s production company, MPL Communications, with the design officially approved by Paul McCartney.
Paul McCartney's Incredible Career
The new Paul McCartney coin is part of the Royal Mint’s Music Legends Collection. The collection depicts British music icons on commemorative coins, including silver proof, gold proof and brilliant uncirculated editions. Coin collectors have seen previous coins celebrate the careers of George Michael, The Police, Shirely Bassey, The Rolling Stones, The Who and Elton John.
It is undeniable to coin collectors that Paul McCartney is one of the most successful and enduring British musicians of all time. As a member of both The Beatles and Wings, Paul McCartney became a rock ‘n’ roll superstar, but his continued work as a solo artist has cemented him as one of the greatest artists in history – selling over 100 million solo albums. An undisputed icon of popular culture, his ever-expanding legacy includes countless hits, a long list of industry accolades and critical acclaim on a global level.
From his pioneering work with The Beatles in the 1960s to his time in Wings and his continued global success as a solo artist, Paul McCartney is thriving in today’s ever-changing musical landscape, performing to generations of fans at sold-out concerts around the world. Paul has just completed his acclaimed ‘Got Back’ tour, which saw him play to over 500,000 people in eight countries. The tour visited South America and Europe before it finished with shows in Manchester and London.
Inspired by Paul McCartney’s use of pennies as guitar picks in the early days, the Royal Mint has also created a special edition plectrum-shaped version of the coin to gift to Paul. The one-off plectrum has been produced using sustainable gold, recovered from e-waste at the Royal Mint’s factory in South Wales. The new Paul McCartney coin is part of the Royal Mint’s Music Legends Collection. The collection depicts British music icons on commemorative coins, including silver proof, gold proof and brilliant uncirculated editions. Previous coins have celebrated the careers of George Michael, The Police, Shirely Bassey, The Rolling Stones, The Who and Elton John.
Paul McCartney said: ‘This feels like a huge honour. It’s not anything I would have ever expected to happen when I was a kid.’ Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint said ‘Our coins recognise the greatest icons and events in British history, so it’s fitting that Paul McCartney’s remarkable music career is now celebrated on an official UK coin. What makes this coin extra special is that Paul has been involved throughout the design process. The coin celebrates elements from throughout his solo career, and we hope fans will enjoy the layered references to songs, instruments, and bands.’
In early 2025, the Royal Mint will offer fans and coin collectors the chance to own a unique piece of history, auctioning a signed, gold edition of Paul McCartney’s coin. The bespoke gold coin weighs 5kg and took over 250 hours to make, including three days of hand polishing. It was signed by McCartney during his 2024 ‘Got Back’ tour in Paris and will be auctioned alongside four silver 5kg editions.
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