Since Monday morning there has been a commemorative coin in memory of the singer and songwriter George Michael, one of the most successful pop stars of the eighties and nineties, who died on December 25, 2016 at the age of 53. The coin was minted by the Royal Mint, the United Kingdom's mint, with the permission of the singer's heirs and is available in a variety of weights and designs: it celebrates the fact that “Last Christmas”, one of Michael's most famous songs and his Wham! , reached number one on the British charts 39 years after its release, the Royal Mint said in a statement.
Due to the popularity of the coin, we are seeing a high volume of calls and emails.
If you experience any delays, we will endeavor to contact you as quickly as possible.
Thank you for your patience. 🙂 pic.twitter.com/iZeoEJHr4Y
– The Royal Mint (@RoyalMintUK) February 26, 2024
George Michael, whose real name is Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, was born on June 25, 1963 in London to a Greek Cypriot father and an English mother. Over the course of his career he sold more than a hundred million records, first with Wham! and then as a soloist. The coin dedicated to him has a value of 5 pounds, was designed by the Sardinian artist Sandra Deiana and is inspired by the music video for “Faith”, the song that gives the title to Michael's first solo album (from 1987), which was released at over 25 Millions of copies sold were among his greatest successes.
Celebrate one of the world's best-selling and most popular musicians with the @GeorgeMOfficial 2024 UK coin! 🎤
Come here to celebrate a true pop icon. 🎉🎵 https://t.co/YtBKiJwgWU pic.twitter.com/b6RezHPplV
– The Royal Mint (@RoyalMintUK) February 26, 2024
The coin can be ordered online for 15.50 pounds (approx. 18 euros). It is part of the Royal Mint's 'Music Legends' collection, which also includes those of David Bowie, Elton John and Queen, and there is a portrait of King Charles III on the reverse. In addition to the 5 pound coin, there was one in silver with colored inserts and one in gold, both in limited editions: they cost 108.5 and 2,770 pounds (127 and 3,240 euros) respectively.
Designed by artist and sculptor Sandra Deiana, the collectible coin honoring George Michael features a headshot of Michael wearing his trademark sunglasses and an engraving of Faith's chorus
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— Sky News (@SkyNews) February 26, 2024
– Also read: The DJ who made 7,000 people miss “Whamageddon.”