The Royal Mint has unveiled an official commemorative coin celebrating Pink Floyd, with the prism artwork from The Dark Side Of The Moon on the reverse and the portrait of His Majesty The King on the obverse. The coin will be available from 14 May 2026 and joins the Mint’s Music Legends series, which has already marked out artists from across generations.
The reverse was designed by Henry Gray, and some editions will feature a rainbow prism effect rendered in colour. Rebecca Morgan said Pink Floyd are one of those rare bands whose music and imagery have crossed generations, adding that the instant the coin is seen, there is no doubt who it celebrates. She also said the prism is instantly recognisable to fans around the world and that Gray had brought it to life with the craft and detail the band deserves.
Pink Floyd formed in London in 1965 with Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright, and David Gilmour joined in 1968 as Barrett’s involvement diminished. The Dark Side Of The Moon, released in 1973, became the backdrop for one of popular music’s most recognisable sleeves, created by Hipgnosis co-founder Storm Thorgerson and illustrated by George Hardie. The album has worldwide sales exceeding 50 million copies, a scale that helps explain why its prism has remained such a durable symbol for more than 50 years.
The new issue extends a series that began in 2020 with Queen and has since recognised David Bowie, George Michael, Paul McCartney and Freddie Mercury. Nearly half a million coins from the series have already been distributed to collectors and fans across 108 countries, showing how far a music-themed bullion program can travel when the subject is part of the cultural mainstream. The Royal Mint is also issuing a limited-edition Pink Floyd guitar plectrum in gold, silver and dark chrome finishes, designed by Royal Mint designer Daniel Thorne.
What makes this release stand out is that it does not try to reinterpret Pink Floyd’s image; it leans directly into one of the most familiar visuals in rock history. That is also why the coin is likely to matter to collectors and fans alike: it turns a sleeve design from 1973 into a formal national issue, while the plectrum gives the launch a second collectible tied to the same band. When the coin goes on sale in May, the question will not be whether the prism is identifiable, but how quickly it is absorbed into the already crowded market for Pink Floyd memorabilia.
