The dinosaur 50ps STOMPING into your collection!

Look out Change Checkers, because a brand new collection of UK Dinosaur 50ps are causing a rumbling in the collecting world! Three roarsome 50ps in the Iconic Specimens Collection have been issued as part of the Tales of the Earth series.

2024 Diplodocus 50p

The third and final 50p in the Iconic Specimens Collection features the Diplodocus, a gentle giant of the late Jurassic period. As one of the most on-display dinosaurs in the world, it’s only fitting that the Diplodocus closes this collection.

The Diplodocus could reach up to 90 feet long, with the neck alone measuring 26 feet! As a herbivore, it had no need for sharp teeth, and was better equipped with peg-like teeth for stripping leaves from branches. Despite its usually docile nature, the Diplodocus boasted a powerful whip-like tail which may have been able to break the sound barrier when cracked, probably used to scare predators or in courtship rituals.

Designer, paleo artist Robert Nicholls had expert guidance from Professor Paul Barret from the Natural History Museum to ensure the Diplodocus was accurately depicted, with its winding neck and impressive serpentine tail. In the foreground, you can even see a Diplodocus skeleton, further emphasising its sheer length.

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2024 Stegosaurus 50p

The second 50p in the Iconic Specimens collection takes us back to the Jurassic period and pays tribute to the colossal stegosaurus. The stegosaurus is often nicknamed the ‘dumbest dinosaur’ due to its tiny plum-sized brain, however, it had no problem defending itself against predators with its formidable spiked tail.

The 2024 UK Stegosaurus 50p depicts the armoured herbivore in all its glory, with those unmistakable diamond-shaped plates down its back and a powerful spiked tail. In the foreground, you can even see a stegosaurus skeleton amongst Jurassic foliage and the inscription ‘JURASSIC’.

Paleo artist Robert Nichols worked with Professor Paul Barret from the Natural History Museum to create the design, which was based on the world’s most complete stegosaurus specimen – the ‘Sophie’ skeleton.

Did you know?
The time between when the Stegosaurus roamed the earth and the Tyrannosaurus is actually greater than the time separating the Tyrannosaurus and us!

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2024 UK T-Rex 50p

Kicking off the new Iconic Specimens collection in December 2023 was the 2024 UK T-Rex 50p, featuring one of the most ferocious predators to ever walk the earth. Not only was this the first time the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex had appeared on a UK 50p, but it was also the first 2024 dated 50p to be issued!

The Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the most fearsome animals of all time, boasting a 5 foot long skull,  armed with 60 razor sharp teeth, and a bite 3 times more powerful than a lion!

Perhaps thankfully, you won’t find yourself up against a real T-Rex in this age. However, the ferocious predator is so realistically portrayed on the 2024 T-Rex 50p, that you’ll be instantly transported back to the Cretaceous Period.

The reverse design was created by paleo-artist Robert Nicholls, with expert guidance from Professor Paul Barret from the Natural History Museum. They worked together on a design that portrays the T-Rex ready for action in a defensive stance, bearing its tremendous teeth. In the foreground, you can also see a T-Rex skeleton and the inscriptions ‘TYRANNOSAURUS’ and ‘CRETACEOUS’, in reference to the period in which it lived.

Click here to secure the 2024 UK Tyrannosaurus 50p for your collection >>

Previous Tales of the Earth 50ps

The Royal Mint’s Tales of the Earth series celebrates the most legendary prehistoric creatures to ever roam the planet.

Dinosauria Collection

The series started in 2020 with the Dinosauria collection, which celebrated the first dinosaurs recorded in scientific literature. The Dinosauria collection included 50ps featuring the Iguanodon, the Hylaeosaurus and the Megalosaurus.

Did you know? The Megalosaurus is thought to be the first dinosaur described in scientific literature in the 1600s.

Mary Anning Collection

A year later in 2021, the Mary Anning collection was released, celebrating the first prehistoric creatures discovered by Mary Anning on the Jurassic coast. Mighty prehistoric beasts the Dimorphodon, Plesiosaurus and Temnodontosaurus all featured on UK 50ps.

Did you know? Mary Anning was just 12 years old when she discovered her first fossil. The 5.2 metre long skeleton was studied and eventually named Ichthyosaurus, or ‘fish lizard’, which lived 201-194 million years ago.

Complete your Iconic Specimens 50p Collection

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