On Monday, June 26, The Royal Mint, official maker of coins for the United Kingdom, unveiled a collectable coin celebrating Dame Shirley Bassey with a design that pays tribute to her incredible 70 years in the world of show business.
To celebrate the launch, The Royal Mint welcomed Dame Shirley to strike one of the very first coins, giving her own seal of approval on the new coin and its design.
Dame Shirley Bassey said:
“My collaboration with The Royal Mint is an incredibly exciting moment for me. It’s thrilling to know that my silhouette, and the Welsh dragon, will be featured on my very own coin, and to be the first female included within the Music Legends collection is an absolute honor.”
The coin’s dazzling design acknowledges the three James Bond theme tunes for which Dame Shirley provided vocals and pays tribute to the performer’s Welsh roots through a small depiction of the Welsh dragon. Taking centre stage is a silhouette of Dame Shirley Bassey.
Using the latest innovative technology and manufacturing techniques, the collectable coin will feature a ‘confetti’ stardust style effect in the text ‘Dame Shirley Bassey’ in a special nod to her showstopping career. The reverse design, on a selection of the coins, also features cut lettering, which creates a diamond like faceting, mirroring the text ‘Diamonds Are Forever’.
This effect has been achieved by using lasers to cut layers, which are less than 1/200th the thickness of a human hair, into a selection of the coins available in the range. The technique created the opportunity to produce a micro-structure which resembles a myriad of stars cut at varying heights. This allows light to then be reflected from different angles adding to the light play of the design.
The Dame Shirley Bassey collectable coin is the sixth in The Royal Mint’s ‘Music Legends’ series. This latest coin follows designs in honor of music icons Queen, Elton John, David Bowie, The Who, and The Rolling Stones.
The Music Legends series has already received a popular response globally, with collectors across 97 different countries having bought at least one coin in the series.
Rebecca Morgan, Director of Collector Services at The Royal Mint, said:
“As The Royal Mint continues its popular Music Legends coin series, we are honoured to dedicate the next coin in the collection to celebrate the vibrant and glamourous career of Dame Shirley Bassey, It was a privilege to have Shirley Bassey visit The Royal Mint in Llantrisant to strike one of the first coins and meet the team of makers that have created this wonderful design. Our Music Legends series is engaging new generations of coin collectors, and we hope this design will become a cherished part of any fans memorabilia.”
The Dame Shirley Bassey coin is available as limited-edition precious metal proof finishes as well as a Brilliant Uncirculated, with colour versions of the coin also available. View the full collection on The Royal Mint’s website: Music Legends | The Royal Mint.
