The coin is the latest addition to the Royal Mint’s Music Legends series, which commemorates iconic British performers by creating a coin in their honour.
George Michael collectable coin unveiled by Royal Mint > https://t.co/NojGXVdYYg pic.twitter.com/pRa41QDzfX
— News Radio UK (@NewsRadioUK) February 26, 2024
In the collectable, Michael is depicted wearing his signature sunglasses, looking down, while an engraving of the refrain from his 1987 solo track ‘Faith’ is also shown. Splashes of black and red are featured on the otherwise silver design, as they were colours used prominently throughout his career.
Sandra Deiana, the coin’s designer, explained that she wanted to capture “a detailed portrait” of the musician “that captured his charismatic expression” (per BBC). “I was particularly thinking of his iconic sunglasses,’ she added.
Sharing their response to the new coin, George Michael Entertainment said it was “deeply honoured” by the tribute from the Royal Mint. It also shared that Michael himself would have felt “enormously proud and genuinely touched that a national institution should have decided to pay tribute to his memory in this way”.
Since his death, on Christmas Day 2016, at the age of 53, it’s estimated that his estate has made almost £55,000 ($70,000) a day.
George Michael Entertainment said in a statement about the new collectable: “We are deeply honoured that the Royal Mint is paying tribute to him by creating a series of beautifully crafted coins. He would have been enormously proud and genuinely touched that a national institution should have decided to pay tribute to his memory this way.”
