2020 Gold Proof 50p Coin – Dinosauria: Megalosaurus

The 2020 Gold Proof 50p Coin – Dinosauria: Megalosaurus

This was the first coin in a Royal Mint series called the Dinosauria Collection. SCBC: H73

These coins are available (subject to stock) from the Royal Mint Shop (product code UK20MGGP).

Back in 1824, William Buckland (1784-1856), who was a clergyman, geologist and palaeontologist, found fossil bones of a giant reptile which he named Megalosaurus (meaning 'great lizard'). He was the first person to document fossil dinosaurs.

A few years later, English biologist and palaeontologist Sir Richard Owen (1804-1892), studied the documents made about the Megalosaurus, Iguanodon and Hylaeosaurus and realised there were commonalities and they must be a distinct group of reptiles. He called the new group 'Dinosauria' from which we get the term dinosaurs.

Today we know the dinosaur Megalosaurus is a theropod, a large bipedal predator that lived in the Middle Jurassic period 170 to 155 million years ago.

The Reverse of the coin, by Paleo-artist Robert Nicholls, shows the Megalosaurus and the annotation 'BUCKLAND 1824'.

The Obverse shows a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark.

This coin is part of the Dinosauria collection. The coin is available as BU, Coloured BU, Silver Proof, Coloured Silver Proof and Gold Proof. 

Image credit: The Royal Mint

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