Ipswich artist 'blown away' to have Red Arrows coins approved by King
A special gold of the coins set flew with the Red Arrows during Trooping the Colour on Saturday
Last updated 19th Jun 2024
An artist from Ipswich has designed five 50 pence coins to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Red Arrows.
The designs have been approved by the King, and a special gold set flew with the Red Arrows during Trooping the Colour on Saturday.
Matthew Emeny started painting as a child, and tell us it's something he never thought would happen: "They got in contact with me and I was blown away really, they said my designs would be signed off by the RAF, the Government and the King himself!
"I was a bit taken back, and glad they chose me to do the project."
"To know that the King has seen it, and obviously liked it, he wouldn't have approved it otherwise, is a highlight as an aviation artist, I'm really pleased."
"They didn't want anything that was too detailed because it would be shrunk down to the size of a 50 pence piece, and most of my work is really detailed so I had to hold back on my normal detailed style, scale back a bit but an amazing process."