The Royal Mint to Release Special Edition Coin to Celebrate the Life of J.R.R. Tolkien

The Royal Mint, the official maker of British coins, has announced a number of new commemorative coins for release in 2023, making them the first to feature the likeness of the new monarch, King Charles III. Coins to be released include a £2 coin featuring The Flying Scotsman, a 50p coin celebrating 75 years of the NHS, a £5 coin celebrating the King’s 75th birthday, and a 50p commemorating the Windrush Generation. While coin collectors around the world will no doubt be eager to get their hands on these coins, fans of fantasy will be interested to learn that a special £2 coin celebrating the life of J.R.R. Tolkien is also set to be released next year.

Releasing on the 50th anniversary of his death, the coin will feature Tolkien’s iconic monogram on its centre, encircled by a runic pattern created by the artist David Lawrence. The edge of the coin will feature the words “Not all those who wander are lost,” which is taken from a poem called The Riddle of Strider, which is featured in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The face will also feature the words ‘J.R.R. Tolkien 1892-1973’, along with ‘Writer, Poet, Scholar’. The other side of the coin will feature the likeness of King Charles.

The coin’s designer, David Lawrence, explained his design choice, saying: “JRR Tolkien’s monogram is an elegant creation: a mysterious symbol redolent of alchemical signs and magical scripts. It also had a certain gravitas. I quickly saw that this had to be central to the design. Something ring-like and circular was obviously needed to contain and frame the monogram.

“I created several roundels to contain the monogram. Eventually, these were whittled down to abstract shapes; versions containing tortuous intertwined serpents were interesting, but they were somehow distracting and lacked gravitas. I created the abstract shapes from scratch, choosing a couple of fonts that have a slightly quirky, magical look, whilst remaining fully legible.”

If you’re eager to get your hands on this special coin, you can register your interest on The Royal Mint website.