50 years of Aardman: Preston animator Nick Park’s creations feature on new Royal Mint coin

A series of collectable coins celebrating 50 years of Aardman Animations, featuring a selection of famous characters created by Preston’s Nick Park, has been launched by the Royal Mint.

The “tails” side of the coin was designed by Aardman and features some of the most recognisable characters from the Academy Award-winning animation studio’s back catalogue.

The design includes Morph, Shaun the Sheep and scheming villain Feathers McGraw, as well as Wallace and Gromit.

A selection of the coins will also bring the designs to life in colour.

To mark the launch, Aardman co-founder Peter Lord visited the Royal Mint to strike one of the first 50p coins.

Aardman, known for its stop motion style of filming, in which characters are moved in small increments, is an employee-owned company based in Bristol.

It has been entertaining viewers since the 1970s, when Morph appeared on the children’s art programme Take Hart, becoming the studio’s first clay superstar.

Prestonian Nick Park joined the studio in 1985 as an animator, where he created iconic productions, including Wallace and Gromit’s first award-winning outing, A Grand Day Out.

The farmyard antics of Shaun the Sheep, another of Park’s creations, have also charmed viewers since his first appearance in the Wallace and Gromit short film A Close Shave.

This year sees the studio celebrate its 50th anniversary with events and celebrations highlighting the craft and legacy of Aardman and with the launch of a new film, Shaun The Sheep: The Beast Of Mossy Bottom, in the autumn.

Rebecca Morgan, director at The Royal Mint, said: “Aardman characters have been part of the fabric of British life for 50 years, and the nostalgia they carry is truly extraordinary.

“Whether you grew up watching Wallace and Gromit on Christmas Day, fell in love with Morph as a child, or introduced Shaun the Sheep to a new generation, these characters hold a very special place in people’s hearts.”

Mr Lord said: “I’m very proud that the story of Aardman, and the characters we’ve created over the last 50 years, are being celebrated by the work of The Royal Mint.

“It was such a pleasure to visit and see for myself, close up, the amazing care and artistry that goes into making these beautiful coins.

“In fact, the whole place reminded me of the Aardman studio – both are full of super-talented artists and craftspeople creating timeless work.

“We love to bring pleasure and fun to our audiences, and these fabulous coins surely represent that joyous spirit.”

A gold version of the Aardman 50p will be produced from recycled gold, coming from old jewellery and coins.

The Royal Mint said it aims to extend this approach to all of its collectable gold coins by the end of 2026.

The coins will be available to buy from 9am on Tuesday June 9 from The Royal Mint’s website.

As well as brilliant uncirculated and colour versions, gold and silver versions of the coin are also available.

Prices start at £15 for a brilliant uncirculated 50p coin and £25 for a colour version.

A silver coin is available at £92.50 and a gold coin can be purchased for £2,420.