Silver Coin Music Legends - The Who 1 Oz 2021 Proof

Music Legends - The Who 1 Oz

Issued by the Royal British Mint in 2021, this 1 Oz silver coin with colour printing in the finest 99.9% purest Proof silver is part of the Music Legends series celebrating iconic British artists. The fourth coin in the series is dedicated to The Who, a rock band whose unique style has shaped the diversity of the British music scene for over fifty years.
The design for the first official UK coin issue dedicated to The Who was approved by its members.

For the reverse of the coin, British artist Henry Grey created a dynamic design using iconic symbols associated with The Who. Using digital printing technology, the parts are coloured in the national colours. Rickenbacker styled the central guitar motif as a pinball table. This is a reference to the single "Pinball Wizard" from the rock opera album Tommy, which is considered the band's most important work. He captured the guitar in a linear perspective from the body to the head, which pierces the speaker cover in the background. The tear reveals a round target in the spirit of the British RAF with the official "THE WHO" logo. The Rickenbacker guitar brand was the first to be destroyed on stage by Pete Townshend. Likewise, the method is based on photographs capturing the musician in his self-destructive performances. The British flag covering the guitar was regularly used in promotional material, appearing on members' costumes or on speakers at concerts. The motif includes the author's tiny initials "HDG". The edge of the coin bears the inscription "PINBALL WIZARD".
The rock band The Who was founded in 1964 in London. The classic line-up is considered to be the early-career line-up of Roger Daltrey (vocals), Pete Townshend (guitar and vocals), John Entwistle (bass guitar and vocals) and Keith Moon (drums). One of Britain's most famous and influential bands, apart from their music, became famous for destroying their instruments at the end of gigs. They are also known for problems with drug and alcohol addiction, which resulted in the deaths of two founding members.
The double-album Tommy (1969) is credited with pioneering the rock opera genre. Parts of this album were also performed at the legendary first Woodstock Music Festival. The Who's most famous hit My Generation (1965) was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as the 11th greatest song of all time and by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 songs that shaped the genre. During their career, The Who sold over 100 million albums worldwide.

The obverse bears the traditional portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark with his initials. The inscriptions "ELIZABETH II. D.G.REG.F.D.", the denomination "2 POUNDS" and the year of issue "2021".

The coin comes in a Royal Mint gift box with a themed booklet and numbered certificate of authenticity, limited to 8,010 pieces for the whole world!

This product is part of the following product sets: