July 11, 2013 – The UK is expecting the birth of a royal baby, the child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, by mid-July. The Royal Mint has now revealed to be producing 2,013 silver pennies to give to parents of babies who will be born the same day in the UK.
Shane Bissett, Director of Commemorative Coin at the Royal Mint said: ‘The birth of the royal baby will be a joyous occasion not just for Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge but also for the whole nation, as we prepare to celebrate another remarkable milestone in their life journey together. However, it will also be a special day for many mothers and fathers across the country as they too welcome the arrival of their new baby, hence why we wanted to extend this historical moment to them with a lucky silver penny.’
The 2013 silver penny. © Royal Mint.
The tradition to give a silver penny to a newborn is old and the Royal Mint still issues every year silver pennies just for this occasion. The new 2013 issue costs regularly £28 comprising a pink pouch for the girls and a blue one for the boys. Parents who wish to receive a silver penny because their newborn shares their birthday with the expected royal baby will have to register the birth in order to apply for the gift on Facebook.
If you want to know what will happen if more than 2,013 babies will be born on the same day as the child of William and Kate, you should watch this CNN interview with Shane Bissett.
There will be a whole product range dedicated to ‘The Royal Baby.’
And this is the lucky silver penny for girls …
… and for boys.