The Royal Mint launches 50p coins marking STAR TREK’s 60th anniversary
The Royal Mint has launched a series of collectible 50p coins celebrating 60 years of Star Trek, and it's the franchise’s first-ever appearance on UK currency, according to the BBC.
The first coin, available now, features the iconic Vulcan salute alongside the phrase “Live Long & Prosper” and “Star Trek 60,” marking the franchise’s landmark anniversary. A second design showcases four spacecraft spanning different eras of the franchise: the U.S.S. Voyager NCC-74656, the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701, the Enterprise-D, and a Klingon Bird of Prey, arriving in November. Both can be bought as a set from launch day, with the spacecraft coin sold individually starting in the fall.
Select coins will also come in color, echoing the franchise’s own broadcast history—a nod to the fact that the original series’ vivid uniforms were deliberately designed to pop on the newly emerging color television sets of the 1960s.
Tim Mulhall, head of fandom at the Royal Mint, leaned into the pun potential, saying, “It’s a privilege for The Royal Mint to boldly go, celebrating 60 years of Star Trek with a keepsake that’s out of this world.” He added that the coins are built for fans who’ve grown up with the franchise and want a piece of that history to treasure.
Paramount EMEA’s VP of Products & Experiences, Ruth Henriquez, framed the collaboration as a natural fit given the franchise’s collector base, calling Star Trek fandom one of the most dedicated in the world and describing the coins as a tribute to six decades of the property.
This isn’t the Mint’s first foray into franchise tie-ins: its 2023 sci-fi-themed collection—featuring Star Wars—sold nearly 800,000 coins across 60 countries, including a set marking Return of the Jedi’s 40th anniversary with characters like R2-D2, C-3PO, and Darth Vader rendered in color for the first time.
Star Trek first launched under creator Gene Roddenberry in 1966 and has since spun off into films, spin-off series, games, novels, and comics—arguably the genre’s most enduring multimedia universe. The 50p is the UK’s most collected coin denomination, and its 27.5mm diameter (the largest of any British coin) leaves ample room for decorative detail, making it a recurring canvas for pop culture crossovers.
Source: BBC, The Royal Mint
Comments