2021 Tales of the Earth: Plesiosaurus Coloured Silver Proof 50 Pence Coin

This is the 2021 Plesiosaurus Coloured Silver Proof Fifty Pence Coin. The Privy Council have announced that The Royal Mint intend to make a new series of 50p coins celebrating palaeontologist Mary Anning's discoveries: the Temnodontosaurus, Plesiosaurus and Dimorphodon.

We will update this page when we have more information. 

Mary Anning

Mary Anning was a fossil collector and palaeontologist, best known for her work in discovering Jurassic marine life.

Anning was born in Dorset in 1799. Her father was a carpenter, who would subsidise his income by collecting fossils on the beach and selling them to holidaymakers. When he passed away Mary and her brother continued to hunt for fossils and in 1811 they stumbled across what would become known as an Ichthyosaurus; a large marine animal from the Jurassic period.

Anning continued her work in hunting for fossils and would often search on cliffs during the winter months, especially after landslides which would uncover new fossils. Anning discovered the first skeleton of a Plesiosaur, Temnodontosaurus and the Dimorphodon, which was eventually studied by William Buckland and renamed as the Pterodactyl.

Charles Dickens wrote in an article about Anning's life, "The carpenter's daughter has won a name for herself, and has deserved to win it."

Plesiosaurus

The Plesiosaurus was a large marine reptile from the Jurassic Period. Mary Anning discovered the first complete skeleton in 1823. 

The reptile had a long neck and sharp teeth and was around 3 - 5 metres in length. 

Privy Council

We first heard about the coin after the Privy Council published information about it. The Privy Council is made up of senior politicians who advise the Queen on such matters as bank holidays, coinage and lively company statuses. The Royal Mint have to submit any new coin designs to The Privy Council for approval and that information is then announced on the Privy Council website. 

The obverse of the coin will likely feature the Jody Clark portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. The inscription will read:

“· ELIZABETH II · D · G · REG · F · D · 50 PENCE ·” and the date of the year and for the reverse either:

The reverse of the coin is set to feature:

a design depicting a Plesiosaurus accompanied by the inscription “PLESIOSAURUS” and “MARY ANNING 1823”;