Royal Mint scrapped plans for commemorative coin marking 50th anniversary of LGBT+ law

A commemorative coin to mark 50 years since homosexuality was partially decriminalised in the UK was considered to be ‘commercially unviable’ by Royal Mint bosses.

The coin would have been produced in 2017 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the passing of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act.

However, plans for a commemorative coin were squashed during proposals in 2015 due to a ‘lack of appeal’.

The 1967 Sexual Offences Act legalised homosexual acts in England and Wales on the basis it was consensual between two men over the age of 21.

The passing of the Act has been seen as a milestone in the UK’s step towards LGBT+ equality.

According to documents obtained by The Mail on Sunday under a Freedom of Information request, the coin was decided against during a 2015 meeting by the Royal Mint’s advisory committee.

During the same meeting, a coin based on The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper album was also considered and decided against.

“The marketing department at Royal Mint ultimately came to the conclusion that neither would be commercially viable”, minutes of the meeting stated.

“The homosexuality theme because of the lack of appeal it was likely to have for collectors and the Beatles album because of the complexity and cost of dealing with the licensing elements.”

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Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell told The Mail on Sunday the decision was ‘bizarre’ – and said it was ‘quite appalling’ that the anniversary wasn’t considered to be significant enough to be celebrated.

“The argument that it was not commercially viable sounds like a cop-out,” he told the publication.

“For millions of LGBT+ people and straight allies, this would be a coin worth having.”

A spokesperson for Royal Mint said in response they were currently working on coins that would ‘commemorate events and individuals linked to the British LGBT movement’.

They added that all proposals have to go through rigorous planning and design processes and only some proposals ever progress to a UK coin.

Landmark and historic moments such as the First World War Centenary and the 75th anniversary of D-Day are typically celebrated in commemorative coins.

However, cultural moments and characters have also been celebrated in coin form including Marvel superheroes, the 200th anniversary of Frankenstein and The Gruffalo.

Minted in 2009, a 50 pence coin depicting the famous Kew Gardens is considered to be one of the most valuable commemorative coins.

Collectors have coughed up to £2,500 in order to own the special coin.

Last week, Chancellor Rishi Sunak wrote to the Royal Mint Advisory Committee (RMAC) asking it to recognise contributions of people from black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) groups.

Following the letter, it was reported the RMAC is already considering the release of a coin commemorating Gandhi.