The Royal Mint Releases Medals to Immortalise Coronation Street Stars

LONDON, December 17, 2010 - The Royal Mint has immortalised five 'Queens' of the small screen in
metal to mark the 50th anniversary of the nation's longest-running soap,
Coronation Street.

Coronation Street (
www.royalmint.com/christmasgifts/christmas_TV.aspx?src=hm_smlBanner_CoronationSt)
legends Vera Duckworth, Hilda Ogden, Bet Gilroy, Deirdre Barlow
and current Rovers firebrand Becky McDonald have been joined by their on
screen husbands on a series of beautifully rendered medals, designed to mark
five decades of the Weatherfield saga.

This is the first time the Royal Mint has ever commemorated a soap opera
with TV memorabilia (
www.royalmint.com/christmasgifts/christmas_tv.aspx). The medal designs
faithfully capture intimate details of the lives of the characters that will
be instantly recognisable to millions of Street fans, including Stan and
Hilda's famous flying ducks and Deirdre Barlow's specs.

Recently departed Jack Duckworth has been reunited with his other half in
a design that features the warring couple in their younger days, complete
with the infamous stone cladding from the Old Rectory at number nine. Steve
and Becky McDonald pose in front of the flock wallpaper of the Rovers, while
Bet Gilroy's beehive is captured curl by curl.

A sixth medal completes the Coronation Street series featuring an
engraving of the Street's famous watering hole, The Rovers Return, finished
in silver and fine gold plating.

Commenting on the designs, Dave Knight, the Royal Mint's Director of
Commemorative Coin said: "Every year the Royal Mint captures the likeness of
statesmen and royalty around the world, but faithfully capturing the essence
of ten, hugely loved television icons who, for the last 50 years have been
regular visitors to millions of sitting rooms across the country, was a
particular challenge. Coronation Street is a great, British institution and
it's only fitting that the Royal Mint should commemorate its cultural
significance with the first ever soap inspired medals."

To mark the Street's 50 year milestone, a unique, 22 carat gold version
of the Rovers Return medal was struck by the Royal Mint. The gold medal was
auctioned at Coronation Street 50th Anniversary (
www.royalmint.com/christmasgifts/christmas_TV.aspx?src=hm_smlBanner_CoronationSt)
Appeal gala auction in Manchester. The appeal is made up of three
charities chosen by cast members: The Christie Hospital in Manchester, the
NSPCC and Cancer Research UK.

Coronation Street executive producer, Kieran Roberts said: "It's a
genuine honour to have this series created for our 50th Anniversary. The
characters featured on the medals have been immortalised in a way normally
reserved for kings, queens and historical icons. Vera and Hilda would be over
the moon."

Official Coronation Street products, the medals are presented in a
beautifully designed box depicting the famous Corrie cobbles and include a
story-card capturing the history of each famous couple, along with a
certificate of authenticity.

About the Royal Mint:

The Royal Mint has a history dating back over 1,000 years. By the late
thirteenth century the organisation was based in the Tower of London, and
remained there for over 500 years. By 1812, the Royal Mint had moved out of
the Tower to premises on London's Tower Hill. In 1967 the building of a new
Royal Mint began on its current site in Llantrisant, South Wales.

There were estimated to be 28.2 billion UK coins in circulation at 31
March 2009, with a total face value of GBP3.6 billion - all manufactured by
the Royal Mint.

1.3 billion UK coins were issued during 2008-09.

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PR contact: Porter Novelli, +44(0)20-7853-2390