UK’s Royal Mint recently unveiled a new coin that honors the late music legend George Michael. The coin is part of the Music Legends collection and comes in several different finishes.
The reverse of the coin shows the portrait of Michael inspired by his look from the music video for his 1987 hit track “Faith”. The design also features a graphic rendering of the sound waves from the refrain of “Faith”. The obverse of the coin shows a portrait of King Charles III.
Italian artist and sculptor Sandra Deiana is credited with designing the reverse of the coin.
“I wanted a detailed portrait that captured his charismatic expression—I was particularly thinking of his iconic sunglasses. It’s amazing to be able to pay tribute to his music, and what you see in the design is truly a piece of George Michael’s song,” said Deiana in a statement.
The standard version of the coin, featuring a denomination of £5, comes with a booklet about George Michael’s life and costs £15.50. A special Gold Proof version of the coin is also available in a limited quantity of 150 units. This coin comes at a price of £2,770.
George Michael is the latest British music icon to grace the reverse of a coin. Previously, the Royal Mint also released coins with designs of Elton John, David Bowie, the Queen, and The Police.
