Making cents of romance

The Age

Wednesday March 30, 2011

A COLLECTABLE 50-cent coin to mark Prince William and Catherine Middleton's engagement will go on sale today.Queen Elizabeth approved the coin, which is one of the few collectables to be given the royal tick, Royal Australian Mint chief executive Ross MacDiarmid said.It was designed by the Queen's goldsmith and jeweller Stuart Devlin, who has designed a number of Australia's coins.The coin bears the couple's names around the outside with a rose design in the centre. The Queen's image is on the flip side of the coin, which will be dated 2010, the year the pair were engaged.It will be available on an unlimited basis for $8.95, sold in a card as a commemorative 50-cent coin.A gold-plated two-set version of the coin, contained in a wooden box and limited to 10,000 copies, will also become available.