A Mammoth of a Coin

On Monday, the British Royal Mint released the latest issue in its Tales of the Earth series in collaboration with the Natural History Museum. The 50 pence is part of the three-coin Ice Age Giants collection and depicts the steppe mammoth. Paleobiologist Professor Adrian Lister from the Natural History Museum worked with Robert Nicholls to design the scientifically accurate depiction of the prehistoric woolly beast on the reverse. Its genus name, MAMMUTHUS, and common name, STEPPE MAMMOTH, frame the creature, whose tusks reach up and around the edge of the coin. A smaller steppe mammoth’s skeleton is at the bottom of the coin. King Charles III’s effigy appears on the obverse.

The steppe mammoth likely descended from a Chinese ancestor 2 million years ago. It stood approximately 12 feet tall and weighed an average of 10 tons. The mammoth lived during the Ice Age, or Pleistocene Era, approximately 2.6 million years ago. It had several features that distinguished it from other species of mammoths. One of these was highly ridged molars, which gave it resistance to abrasive foods.

The coin is available in gold proof, silver proof, and brilliant-uncirculated versions. Two colored versions are also available. Other massive mammals from the Ice Age featured in the three-coin series include the woolly rhinoceros and giant deer. For more information and to purchase, visit the Royal Mint’s website.