The Royal Mint of Great Britain has unveiled a new coin dedicated to Freddie Mercury, featuring his portrait and signature, as part of the "Music Legends" series, UNN reports.
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"We are honoring the legendary Freddie Mercury with a new British coin," the Royal Mint said, describing the new item.
The coin, as AP notes, commemorates the 40th anniversary of Freddie Mercury's legendary performance at the Live Aid charity concert. The coin depicts the Queen frontman with his head thrown back, holding a microphone stand during a performance. The musical staff running along the edge of the coin is said to symbolize his vocal range.
The first coin was minted by Mercury's sister, Kashmira Bulsara, at the Royal Mint in Wales last week.
"Freddie died young and didn't get to be awarded a royal medal for his musical talent. So a royal coin of this format is wonderful and very fitting," she said.
"This coin perfectly captures his passion and the joy he brought to millions with his music," she added. "The design is very striking, and they managed to capture Freddie's most famous pose, which is so recognizable around the world."
Rebecca Morgan, Director of Commemorative Coins at the Royal Mint, noted that now is the best time to release a commemorative coin in honor of Mercury. She added that fans had been "demanding" it, and "now seems like the right time to do it," as 40 years have passed since he captivated audiences at the 1985 Live Aid concert, which many called the greatest live performance of all time.
This year also marks the 40th anniversary of Mercury's solo studio album "Mr Bad Guy."
Mercury died at the age of 45 in 1991, just one day after publicly announcing his HIV-positive status.
The Royal Mint has released special coins honoring other music legends, including David Bowie, George Michael, Shirley Bassey, and Paul McCartney.
The coins will go on sale on the Royal Mint website on Tuesday. Prices start at £18.50 (US$24.4) for an uncirculated version with a face value of £5. A 2-ounce gold coin costs £9,350 (US$12,315).
The Royal Mint announced that it would donate a special gold edition of this coin to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, a charity founded in memory of the singer and helping people living with AIDS and HIV.
Reuters shared a relevant video.