PR90447

LONDON, July 5, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

- The Royal Mint celebrates Alice's Adventures in Wonderland on official UK

coin in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum

- The commemorative Pounds 5 crown, featuring Alice and the Cheshire Cat, is

inspired by Sir John Tenniel's original illustrations and is available from

today at The Royal Mint [https://www.royalmint.com/alice]

- Part of a two-coin collectors' series, the Through the Looking-Glass £5 crown

will be released later this year, to mark 150 years of the same title

- To mark the collaboration with the V&A, the coins were unveiled alongside Sir

John Tenniel's original illustrations at the museum's Alice: Curiouser and

Curiouser [http://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/alice-curiouser-and-curiouser]

exhibition in London

Download high-res images of the commemorative coins, including photography with

the original illustrations: HERE

[https://dam.gettyimages.com/s/3gvt5rtqc6p2b2665kvvx2w]

Download B-roll footage from the Victoria and Albert Museum interview with

Curator Kate Bailey HERE [https://dam.gettyimages.com/s/mwwjcvkfg6prqg5h48smh4q]

Download B-roll of interviews with The Royal Mint designer Ffion Gwillim and

Sculptor Emma Noble HERE [https://dam.gettyimages.com/s/8v4jhhjsg4t8sc9jrvk99p8]

The Royal Mint has today unveiled the first official Alice's Adventures in

Wonderland coin collection inspired by the much-loved illustrations of the

original book.

In collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum, the special Pounds 5

crown featuring Alice and the Cheshire Cat is available from today. The coin

was revealed alongside the original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel at the

Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition at the world's leading museum of art,

design and performance.

Made by the Original Maker of UK coins, the Pounds 5 crown provides an ideal

canvas immortalising the iconic illustrations in vivid detail and colour, using

traditional minting techniques and innovative design technology. Featuring the

edge inscription "Curiouser and Curiouser," the intricate design is one of the

most detailed coins produced by the 1,100-year-old Makers.

Launched in base metal (known as brilliant uncirculated), and also available in

gold and silver, the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland keepsake is part of a

two-coin collectors' range created by The Royal Mint Designer Ffion Gwillim and

Sculptor Emma Noble. The second coin, featuring Tweedledum and Tweedledee, will

launch later this summer in celebration of 150 years of Through the

Looking-Glass – the sequel to the original Lewis Carroll book.

Much like the popularity of coin collecting, the treasured tales have passed

the test of time – currently the second most searched children's book in the UK

on Google.

Clare Maclennan Divisional Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint

said:

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a true classic, cherished by generations

of adults and children of all ages and is still as popular today. In

collaboration with the V&A, we have commemorated this treasured tale for the

first time on an official UK coin.

"Inspired by Sir John Tenniel's original illustrations, the beautiful £5 crown

has been crafted to the finest quality, combining traditional minting skills

with innovation in design technology. I'm sure the Alice's Adventures in

Wonderland range will become a popular choice for collectors, capturing the

imagination of people of all ages, launching at the awe-inspiring Victoria and

Albert Museum during the 150th anniversary of Through the Looking-Glass is a

fitting celebration."

Amelia Calver, Research and Development Manager, V&A Brand Licensing, commented:

"We're delighted to be celebrating the global phenomenon beloved by all ages,

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, with the 2021 commemorative coins. The

designs masterfully capture the charm of Tenniel's original illustrations and

pay homage to some of the Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass characters

that Alice meets along the way. The 2021 coins are set to give fans the chance

to add to their existing collections and inspire new readers of the book to

discover the magic of Carroll's stories and embark on wondrous journeys of

their own."

More information about the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland commemorative coin

collection is available at The Royal Mint [https://www.royalmint.com/alice]

website.

Images

Please note that copyright protects these assets. They may only be used for

editorial purposes and cannot be sold or used for other marketing purposes

without the permission of The Royal Mint or the V&A.

(C) The Royal Mint

(C) Victoria and Albert Museum, London

About The Royal Mint

The Royal Mint has an unbroken history of minting British coinage dating back

over 1,100 years. Based in the Tower of London for over 500 years, by 1812 The

Royal Mint had moved out of the Tower to premises on London's Tower Hill. In

1967 the building of a new Royal Mint began on its current site in South Wales,

UK, to accommodate the minting of UK decimal coinage.

Today, The Royal Mint is the world's largest export mint, supplying coins to

the UK and overseas countries. The Royal Mint has also diversified into a

number of other complementary businesses, building on the values that have been

at the heart of the organisation throughout its history - authenticity,

security, precious metals, craftsmanship and design:

Precious Metals

Throughout history The Royal Mint's name has been synonymous with precious

metals and bullion. The organisation trades physical and digital precious metal

worldwide and has a global network of distributor partners.

Consumer coin division

The organisation runs a thriving commemorative coin business, gifting, and a

collector services division retailing historic coins, an authentication and

valuation service and secure storage.

The Royal Mint Experience

The Royal Mint entered the tourism business in 2016 when it opened its popular

visitor centre, The Royal Mint Experience

[http://www.royalmint.com/experience], at its home in Llantrisant, South Wales.

The attraction welcomes around 100,000 visitors a year.

About the V&A

The Victoria and Albert Museum, London (V&A) is the world's leading museum of

art, design and performance with collections unrivalled in their scope and

diversity, spanning 5000 years of human creativity. It was established in 1852

to make works of art available to all and to inspire British designers and

manufacturers. Today, its purpose is to champion creative industry, inspire the

next generation, and spark everyone's imagination.

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Media enquiries - The Royal Mint Press Office:

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Source: The Royal Mint