Proof Gold 50p – Iguanodon (Dinosauria Collection)
Description This proof gold 50p, dated 2020, is part of the Royal Mint’s *‘Tales of the Earth, The* *Dinosauria Collection’,* in collaboration with the Natural History Museum. This series is made up of three coins and celebrates British scientists who were the first to discover and identify this group of reptiles. In 1822 Dr Gideon Mantell and wife Mary, noticed a glimmer by the side of the road in Sussex, to which they found a large tooth embedded in the rocks. With help from French palaeontologist, Georges Cuvier, they believed the tooth could have belonged to an undiscovered, plant-eating reptile. After visiting the Hunterian Museum to compare jaws and teeth from living reptiles, there were similarities with those of an iguana, leading to the name *Iguanodon*. In 1832, an explosion at a quarry in Sussex, revealed the remains of a mysterious animal. After attributing the remains to an Iguanodon, he was finally able to visualize what it might have looked like. He mistakenly thought it had a horn, but further discoveries concluded the horn was actually a thumb spike, that was probably used for self defence. Mantell’s rival, Richard Owen, then studied his fossils and realised that Hylaeosaurus and Iguanodon shared similar characteristics with Megalosauras. Owen described this new group of animals as the term ‘Dinosauria’ and characterised them as ‘fearfully great’. In 1878, miners in Bernissat discovered Iguanodon bones in a pocket of clay. The head fossil preparator from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences travelled to investigate and over the next 3 years, 30 skeletons were found. After being shipped to Brussels, they were assembled with iron frames and scientists could finally see what a complete dinosaur looked like. The Iguanodon lived during the Early Cretaceous period, they reached a length of around 10metres and most likely walked on both two and four legs, with a stiff tail that stuck straight out. The reverse of the coin, designed by Robert Nicholls, reconstructs the Iguanodon with guidance from the Natural History Museum. The Iguanodon is walking on all four limbs, with it’s signature thumb-spike. The obverse of the coin features Jody Clark’s portrait of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The coin comes in a plastic capsule, along with original Royal Mint boxes, certificate of authenticity and informative booklet. These coins benefit from being Capital Gains Tax (CGT) Free and VAT free. All UK gold and silver bullion coins manufactured by the Royal Mint are legal tender and are exempt from Capital Gains Tax. All of our proof gold coins and sets are verified for authenticity by our experienced team. Any coins that fall short of our quality standards are not re-sold. As members of the [BNTA](http://www.bnta.net/) we ensure that our reputation as a reputable dealer of gold and silver coins and bars is upheld, whether a purchase is for our “best price” or brand new coins. Our range of proof 50p coins can be found [here](https://www.atsbullion.com/product-category/gold-bullion/gold-coins/proof-5-2-50p-coins/).