New coin for WWF’s 50th anniversary

A special 50p piece is being released to mark the 50th anniversary of the World Wildlife Fund.

Britain’s Royal Mint has made the coin in limited-edition commemor-ative gold and silver versions, with a circulation coin being introduced later in the year.

Unlike any coin seen in British pockets, the new 50p features 50 carefully selected images – each symbolising an aspect of WWF ’s wide-ranging environmental and conservation work.

Alongside the charity’s famous panda logo at the heart of the design sit a dolphin, gorilla, rhino, polar bear and butterfly.

Other images featured on the coin include a car, a wind turbine, a coffee bean and a human footprint to represent man’s impact on the world.

The new 50p was created by award-winning graphic designer Matthew Dent, who also designed definitive coins introduced in 2008.

He said: “My idea was to design a selection of stylised icons to represent the various facets of WWF – shapes that would not only complement the famous panda logo, but would also be recognisable when fitted onto the coin’s face.”

Royal Mint Museum director Kevin Clancy said: “The new 50p coin is a fitting commemoration that can be treasured by wildlife lovers for many years to come.”

Established in 1961, WWF was founded by a group of wildlife experts including Sir Peter Scott, who joined forces to combat environmental problems across the world. Fifty years on, WWF tackles much more than just the conserv-ation of endangered species and their habitats. Special collectable editions of the coin are available from www.royalmint.com.