LONDON, Mar 17 (bdnews24.com/Reuters)--The only official UK coin commemorating the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton has gone into production at the Royal Mint.
Hot off the press - a new coin to commemorate the Royal Wedding.
Featuring a double portrait of Kate Middleton and Prince William, the 5 pound coin is being produced at the Royal Mint in South Wales.
Sculptor Mark Richards' design was chosen.
SOUNDBITE: Mark Richards, Designer of the Royal Wedding coin, saying:
"I think it's best captured in the sense of friendship, the sense of spontaneity, I think it's very, I've gone for a very informal portrait, the idea that you've just caught them in the middle of something."
The coin has been approved by the Royal Household and the British government.
It's the only official UK coin marking the wedding - and is legal tender.
The Mint has only ever made a coin for one other Royal Wedding - that of Prince William's parents - Prince Charles and Diana in 1981, says Kevin Clancy, Director of the Royal Mint museum.
SOUNDBITE: Kevin Clancy, Director of the Royal Mint museum, saying (English):
"It's a huge national event, a national holiday, they're a very popular couple and it seems entirely appropriate for the Royal Mint to do something like this, to make a new UK coin to celebrate this occasion."
The Mint says they've already received thousands of pre-orders of the coin, and are getting a lot of interest ranging from countries like Australia and Japan to the United States and Germany.
PTC:
This is a sterling silver version of the Royal Wedding coin. Its face value is £5 - but it will cost you £55 to buy. Although it's not thought likely that anyone will try to spend theirs in the shops.
Over 300,000 Royal Wedding coins are due to be produced - ranging from the standard version to a gold one.
And for the really big spenders - there's a platinum coin which will set you back almost 5 and a half thousand pounds.
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