Legendary band The Who has further cemented their status as one of the most influential rock bands in the UK as the Royal Mint creates a coin for them to be part of their Music Legends Collection. According to NME, Clare Maclennan, divisional director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint said: “The Who are an iconic British band with an incredible musical legacy, so it felt right to honour them with an official UK coin.” They join other UK artists David Bowie, Elton John, and Queen.
The design of the coin, done by artist Henry Gray, is a nod to several images that are associated with The Who and some of their most well-known characteristics. It includes a mod logo, a Rickenbacker guitar with a Union flag design, all in the shape of a pinball machine, which references both their record-breaking loud performances and ‘Pinball Wizard’ from ‘ Tommy,’ the hit rock opera that they are most recognized by. Lead singer Roger Daltrey was at the Royal Mint to give his approval of the design, striking one of the first ones. He shared his thoughts on the new coin while there, saying, “When I first saw this design, I thought, ‘How imaginative!’ I mean, it just summed up in one visual, The Who. Seeing the way they’re coloured and the technique used to do that is incredibly impressive…it actually feels like quite an honour.”
The range became available yesterday morning (24 May) at 9am, and what a range it is. Collectors can spend as little as £13 for a £5 brilliant coin; or if you want to consider something a little more expensive, you can spend up to £2,315 for a one ounce gold proof coin. There are also five more coins that will soon become available and at the top of that list is a gold proof coin that weighs in at one kilo and will be £68,380 according to Louder. There are only 12 available, so the lucky 12 who purchase it can claim bragging rights of being the ultimate The Who fans. The renowned rock band was honoured by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone in their list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and can now add this to their extensive list of achievements.
