2020 Britain Dinosauria Megalosaurus 50p 8g Silver Colored Proof

2020 Great Britain Dinosauria Collection 8 Gram Silver Proof Megalosaurus

The Royal Mint is very pleased to introduce for the first time, an official UK coin featuring a dinosaur. In collaboration with the Natural History Museum, this astounding series of coins will highlight Britain's vital contribution to this exciting scientific field of exploration. This first release of the 2020 Great Britain Dinosauria Collection 8 Gram Silver Proof Megalosaurus is remarkably stunning!

Highlights

• 2020 Great Britain Dinosauria Collection 8 Gram Silver Proof Megalosaurus.
• First time a dinosaur has been featured on an official UK coin.
• Inaugural release of 3-coin series.
• Limited edition, encased in an illustrated, color-printed acrylic display block.
• Contains 8 Grams of .925 fine silver in Proof condition.
• Limited mintage of only 7,000 for each coin design.
• Both the coin and packaging illustrations are based on scientifically accurate reconstructions.
• As a legal tender offering of Great Britain, the obverse of this 2020 Great Britain Dinosauria Collection 8 Gram Silver Proof Megalosaurus coin displays the right-facing effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, created by Jody Clark. Inscriptions include "ELIZABETH II D. G. REG. F. D. 50 PENCE 2020".
• The reverse features the outstanding colorized image of the Megalosaurious, designed by Robert Nicholls. The dinosaur fills the center area, with vegetation specific to the period displayed on either side. A depiction of the original excavated fossil lay at the foot of the dinosaur. Inscriptions include, "MEGALOSAURUS . BUCKLAND 1824."

Dinosauria Uncovered

"Renowned Anatomist Sir Richard Owen, was the first to discover that the remains of Megalosaurus, Iguanodon and Hylaeosaurus all shared common characteristics. He then named this new group of animals "Dinosauria" in a paper published in 1842. From this point the interest and fascination with these creatures grew and still continues to grow to this present day.

The Dinosauria Collection is an exciting new series celebrating Britain's contribution to the discovery of dinosaurs. The collection features each creature that led anatomist Sir Richard Owen to his ground-breaking conclusion, and the series begins with Megalosaurus." -The Royal Mint

Megalosaurus ‑ Great Lizard

As noted by the mint, "In 1824 William Buckland, an eccentric clergyman and palaeontologist, produced the first scientific description of what became known as a dinosaur based on fragments of jaw and bone found in Oxfordshire. Buckland named the creature Megalosaurus, which means 'great lizard'.

Early depictions showed an animal walking on four legs with a posture like a hippopotamus. Today we understand Megalosaurus was a theropod, a large bipedal predator that roamed Britain during the Middle Jurassic period 170 to 155 million years ago.

Along with specimens of Iguanodon and Hylaeosaurus, the fossilised remains of Megalosaurus led anatomist Richard Owen to conclude that all three belonged to a distinct group of reptiles, coining the term 'Dinosauria' to describe this new taxonomic group."

Stunning Designs

Each of the three coins that will ultimately form the set were designed by Robert Nicholls, a palae-artist whose specialty includes, "producing anatomically accurate reconstructions of natural history specimens." The work also benefited from expert guidance provided by the Earth Sciences Department of the Natural History Museum. The colorization of the design is beautifully applied, resulting in a truly stunning coin.

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