Look out – Three Ice Age Giants Come Back to Life on UK Coins!

By Kate | October 21, 2024 |

The Ice Age Giants Collection is the latest addition in the Tales of the Earth Series, featuring three brand new UK 50ps, each designed to bring prehistoric creatures back to life!

The Tales of the Earth series as a whole is dedicated to celebrating ancient life on our planet, offering collectors a glimpse into a world that existed thousands of years ago, and the Ice Age Giants 50ps take us all the way back to the Ice Age.

2024 UK Giant Deer 50p

The third and final Ice Age Giants 50p features the majestic Giant Deer, which lived in warmer climates than the other beasts that have features in the series. The design was created by paleo-artist Robert Nicholls, who had expert guidance from a paleo-biologist at the Natural History Museum, Professor Adrian Lister.

A skeleton of the giant deer can be seen at the bottom of the design, including the distinctive hump and incredible antlers, which could measure up to 12 feet across!

Did you know?
Giant deer (part of the Megaloceros genus) had the largest antlers of any known species, dead or alive.

Secure the 2024 UK Giant Deer 50p >>

2024 UK Woolly Rhino 50p

The second Ice Age Giant to feature in this series is the mighty Woolly Rhino. Just like the Steppe Mammoth 50p, the Woolly Rhino 50p was also designed by Robert Nicholls and the Natural History Museum – so you know every detail is scientifically accurate.

The Woolly Rhino charges onto the second Ice Age Giants 50p

A common feature on every coin in the Tales of the Earth series is a skeleton in the foreground, and the Woolly Rhino 50p is no exception, with its impressive horn and unusual ribcage.

Did you know?
The scientific name for the woolly rhinoceros is Coelodonta antiquitatis, which means ‘cavity tooth’. The inscription COELODONTA features across the top of the coin’s design.

Secure the 2024 UK Woolly Rhino 50p >>

2024 UK Mammoth 50p

Designed by renowned paleo-artist Robert Nicholls in collaboration with the Natural History Museum, the reverse design on the 2024 UK Mammoth 50p captures the awe-inspiring presence of this extinct giant in intricate detail.

The Steppe Mammoth 50p is the first in the Ice Age Giants Collection

In the centre of the design, the Steppe Mammoth faces us head on, with its huge curved tusks, colossal trunk and thick fur. If you look closely, you’ll also see a scientifically accurate illustration of a Steppe Mammoth skeleton in the foreground of the design.

Did you know?
The Steppe Mammoth was the largest mammoth species to ever walk the earth, reaching heights of 14 feet and weighing 10 tonnes! Like many other Ice Age giants, the Steppe Mammoth went extinct around 200,000 years ago. The reasons for their extinction are still debated, but it’s likely due to a combination of climate change and competition with other species for resources.

Secure the 2024 UK Mammoth 50p for your collection >>