The range of coins have been launched by the Royal Mint to celebrate 25 years since the book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was first published.

The Harry Potter collection is likely to be especially popular because it will feature both the late Queen Elizabeth and the new King Charles.

Queen Elizabeth will be on the first two coins and King Charles on the second, which will be released next year.

The first coin, a 50p, which is available to buy now on the Royal Mint website, features a picture of the famous boy wizard from the book by J.K. Rowling which was first published in 1997.

Coins start at £11 from the Royal Mint

There are four different versions of the 50p coin available including one with a colour picture for £20. The cheapest is £11, for a ‘brilliant uncirculated coin’ and the most expensive is £1,195, for a gold proof coin.

The Royal Mint uses special machines to make ‘brilliant uncirculated coins’ and they are polished and finished by hand.

The £11 and £20 coins are unlimited but there are 16,000 available of the £69.50 coin and 300 of the coin worth £1,195.

The coin is uncirculated so it’s only available to buy through the website – and this morning, there were virtual queues of 2,000 people waiting to buy one. Circulated coins are those which are already in use.

Limited edition collections

There are also limited edition Harry Potter ounce coins to buy.  They include three silver proof and two gold proof coins. Prices start at £99.50 for a 1oz silver-proof coin and go up to £5,215 for the gold-proof 2oz coin.

Many of the Harry Potter coins have a ‘latent feature’. This rotates in the light to reveal a lightning bolt and the number ‘25’.

The coins have been modelled by Ffion Gwillim at The Royal Mint and feature work from Jim Kay, the artist who illustrated the first book.

The Hogwarts Express, Professor Albus Dumbledore and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will feature on the other coins.

‘The collection is expected to be in high demand’

Nicola Howell, chief commercial officer at The Royal Mint said: “As the official maker of UK coins, we are delighted to make a spellbinding coin collection to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The first coin in the collection, celebrating Harry Potter, will be available for collectors and fans to buy from today.

“The collection is expected to be in high demand, as it is amongst a small amount which will see a portrait change during the series. Her Late Majesty will feature on the first two coins launching in 2022, while the final two coins in the collection will feature the official portrait of King Charles III in 2023.”

Mandy Archer, editorial director at Bloomsbury Children’s Books said: “Bloomsbury Publishing is thrilled to see the Boy Who Lived being celebrated in such a glorious way.

“The Royal Mint’s stunning coins are the perfect souvenir of Harry Potter’s silver anniversary. Jim Kay’s depiction of the wizarding world is unique and extraordinary – we can’t wait to see his work magically move beyond the printed page and onto this enchanting new medium.”