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The 2022 RBL Poppy Masterpiece – Creating a Masterpiece
Here at The Westminster Collection, we’ve had the privilege of working in partnership with the Royal British Legion for over a decade.
Each year, we issue bespoke coins and commemoratives for the RBL Poppy Appeal and Remembrance Day.
And we’re incredibly proud to have so far raised over £1 million for the Royal British Legion.
Unboxing the 2022 RBL Poppy Masterpiece
The Masterpiece is a remarkable coin and this year, creating the Masterpiece has more of a personal touch than ever before.
Each coin has been meticulously painted by hand, making each one unique.
Never has the name “Masterpiece” been more appropriate. Each coin is a work of art, but how do you go about creating 350 pieces of unique artwork?
“The 2022 Masterpiece Poppy Coin is a timeless token of Remembrance. Not only is this coin a poignant reminder of all those who have served and sacrificed, but it also helps the Royal British Legion continue to be there for today’s Armed Forces community, no matter what.”
Charles Byrne , Director General of the Royal British Legion
One of a Kind – Creating a Masterpiece
This year’s Masterpiece coin has been expertly designed by Beata Kulesza-Damaziak. Beata has a studio in Warsaw, Poland, designing sculptures, book covers and has produced many coin designs.
Beata’s design has been struck in high relief on 5oz Pure Silver blanks, with different heights of relief applied to give a real depth to the design.
Keen-eyed observers will see a map of the Falklands on the very bottom layer, with a total of 40 poppies poignantly sitting on top to mark the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War.
The largest and 40th poppy sits proudly in the middle of the coin. It’s that poppy that elevates the coin to status of “Masterpiece”.
Every single coin has had that poppy hand-painted by artist Adam Taylor, making each one unique.
Most colour on coins these days is printed using high-speed pad-printing machines or using modern UV printing techniques. Adam has used traditional model-painting techniques on the coins, which means each one has unique brush-strokes and subtle differences in the colours.
Adding acrylic paint to the high relief poppy gives it that iconic red colour and further enhances the coin design. The time, care and attention required on a project such as this, truly does make each one of the 350 a one-off.
Adam dedicated hour upon hour to these coins, adding the personal touches to make each one a true Masterpiece.
Secure your hand-painted, one of a kind RBL Poppy Masterpiece Coin here>>
Discover the secrets of Canada’s unexplained phenomena with the BRAND-NEW 1oz Silver coin!
There is nothing I love more than a good extraterrestrial story. And today, you can uncover what happened in Yukon with the Royal Canadian Mint’s brand-new 1oz Silver coin, depicting the remarkable Yukon Encounter!
Read on to find out what really happened that night, the coin’s exciting new technological features, and how you can be one of JUST 50 Westminster Collectors to own it…
The Yukon Encounter
On the cold, snowy night of December 11th 1996, thirty-one people were recorded to have seen a giant UFO in the Canadian territory of Yukon. Let’s take a look inside Chris Rutkowski and Geoff Dittman’s book which details the accounts of the witnesses’ experiences…
Two individuals described the sighting as a group of bright lights immersed in rectangular windows. Another two witnesses experienced a similar sighting just ten miles apart, describing the scene above the Klondike Highway as a “cluster of moving stars”.
Designing an EXTRATERRESTRIAL coin
Today, The Royal Canadian Mint are eager to bring this experience to coinage and continue their sell-out UFO-themed series. Struck from 1oz of .999 Silver with a stunning Proof finish, you can feel like you are truly a witness to this extraordinary sighting with Neil Hamelin’s imaginative design!
Black Light Technology
Your coin is the first in the series to buck the glow-in-in-the-dark trend and include brand-new black light technology! Housed in official Royal Canadian Mint packaging, a black flashlight will also be included to unlock your coin’s true potential.
When this black flashlight is shone onto the already impressive reverse design, it will activate the technology within the coin to reveal an even more colourful reimagining that only you can see! This is the key to unlocking the hidden secrets of the Canadian sky…
Will the SELL-OUT Series continue? JUST 50 Available
This Yukon Encounter 1oz Silver coin is the fifth in the Royal Canadian Mint’s UFO themed series. It follows its counterpart coins inspired by the Montréal Incident, the Clarenville Event and the Falcon Lake Incident.
What’s more, considering that all the previous UFO-themed coins had a mintage of 4,000 – 5,000 and ALL SOLD OUT, you can see how our small allocation won’t satisfy collector demand…
The previous four coins in the series included glow-in-the-dark technology, meaning that this BRAND-NEW black light feature will generate even more collecting buzz!
A history of sought-after Harry Potter collectables
The UK’s FIRST Harry Potter 50p is now available, and it features a special lenticular element. In this blog, I’ll tell you why Harry Potter collectables are some of the most sought-after out there…
The stories of Harry Potter are among some of the most-popular in the world.
In fact, more than 500 million copies of the Harry Potter books have sold worldwide!
Around the world, Harry Potter themed collectables and memorabilia are extremely popular with collectors and fans alike.
Particularly, first editions of Harry Potter collectables, or those with unique features are particularly in-demand.
Considering the brand new Harry Potter 50p is both a UK FIRST and it includes a special lenticular feature, it will surely follow in some HUGE footsteps. But, how much have previous Harry Potter collectables sold for on the secondary market?
Sought-after Harry Potter collectables
Let’s take a look at some Harry Potter memorabilia that has fetched HUGE sums on secondary market sites….
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a fictional book mentioned in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and it was brought to life when JK Rowling hand-wrote and self-illustrated 7 copies of the book.
Credit: Good Housekeeping
All 7 copies were bound in Moroccan leather and decorated with silver ornaments and semi precious stones. These books are incredibly rare with only 7 in existence.
Subsequently, one sold at auction for £1.95 million, a world record for a modern manuscript!
This is a key example of how edition limits can drive up demand for collectable items.
Considering the strict worldwide edition limits of the precious metal Harry Potter 50p coins, we don’t expect these to be available for long…
Chocolate Frog Trading Cards
The Gold Albus Dumbledore Trading cards, available in the Harry Potter Chocolate Frogs, were previously been listed on eBay for over $900!
These cards are especially in demand as they are only available from Universal Studios in Japan and feature a special lenticular design.
Credit: eBay
Like the Albus Dumbledore Trading Card, the UK’s FIRST Harry Potter 50p excitingly also features a unique lenticular feature.
Evidently, Harry Potter themed collectables with strict edition limits and unique features can be worth a small fortune.
And, with recent UK 50p launches selling out at The Royal Mint in limited edition presentations, including the recently issued BBC 50p, this brand new coin is sure to be a hit with collectors.
So, don’t hesitate in adding the UK’s first Harry Potter 50p to your collection.
