Royal Mint to release commemorative Star Wars coins to mark Return of The Jedi 40th anniversary

A collection of commemorative coins will be released and will be the first time characters from the sci-fi film will appear on official UK coins. The collection will mark the 40th anniversary of the third film in the original Star Wars trilogy, Return of The Jedi, which was released in 1983.

Characters set to feature on the coins include iconic droids C-3PO and R2-D2, who will feature on 50p coins as part of the four-coin collection. Other coins will feature Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, the villainous Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine and Han Solo and Chewbacca.

The coins were brought to life by designer Ffion Gwillim who worked in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company. Combining traditional minting techniques with cutting-edge technology, the Royal Mint’s craftspeople have been able to reproduce R2-D2 and C-3PO in colour for the first time on the coins

Each coin in the Star Wars collection features a special lenticular feature which reveals symbols when tilted in the light. The lenticular feature on the first coin in the collection features both Tatooine and the Rebel Alliance “Starbird” logo.

Rebecca Morgan from the Royal Mint, said: “We are excited to enthuse new and existing coin collectors across the world, as well as Star Wars’ thriving fan base both in the United Kingdom, and internationally, with the launch of this collection. The collection features beloved character duos from the Star Wars franchise, and the team at the Royal Mint have worked to faithfully recreate the iconic R2-D2 and C-3PO, the first Star Wars characters to feature on coins in the collection.”

How to get Royal Mint commemorative Star Wars coins

The first coin in the collection celebrating the characters from Star Wars, which comes in a 50p and ounce range, will be available to purchase at 9am on the Royal Mint’s website on July 10.