George Michael stars on new Royal Mint commemorative coin: ‘I gotta have faith’

British pop icon George Michael has been honoured with a new collectable coin that pays tribute to the late Wham! star.

Unveiled by the Royal Mint as part of its Music Legends series, the commemorative coin portrays a headshot of the singer wearing his trademark sunglasses. It also features an engraving of the refrain from his hit single “Faith”, released in 1987 from his debut solo album of the same name.

Sandra Deiana, the coin’s designer, said she wanted to create "a detailed portrait that captured his charismatic expression – I was particularly thinking of his iconic sunglasses.”

She added: “It’s amazing to be able to pay tribute to his music and what you see in the design is truly a piece of George Michael’s song.”

Michael, who rose to fame first with Andrew Ridgley in the Eighties as half of the pop duo Wham!, then as a solo artist behind hits including “Careless Whisper” and “Freedom!”, died on Christmas Day in 2016, aged 53. He is remembered today as much for his generous, compassionate nature as he is for his status as one of the best-selling artists of all time.

The Mint said that the coin was officially approved by Michael’s estate.

“On behalf of George Michael, we are deeply honoured that the Royal Mint is paying tribute to him by creating a series of beautifully crafted coins,” a representative said.

“He would have been enormously proud and genuinely touched that a national institution should have decided to pay tribute to his memory in this way.”

Rebecca Morgan, director of collector services at the Royal Mint said: “From his debut with Wham! to becoming one of the bestselling solo musicians of all time, George Michael is a global superstar whose work has inspired and influenced generations with his music and his unique style.

“Loved by millions of fans worldwide, we are delighted to be introducing an official UK coin celebrating his life and legacy.”

The coin’s release, which follows other limited edition Music Legends coins starring David Bowie, Sir Elton John and Queen, comes in the wake of posthumous charts success for Michael and his former Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley.

The pop duo’s immortal Christmas song, “Last Christmas”, topped the UK charts for the first time in December, 39 years after its initial release and consequently breaking the record for the longest journey to Christmas No 1.

First released in 1984, “Last Christmas” was bested to the No 1 spot at the time by Band Aid’s charity single, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, which featured Michael as a vocalist in the all-star charity group.

“George would be beside himself [that] after all of these years, [we’ve] finally obtained Christmas No 1,” Ridgeley said upon learning of the song’s new achievement. “Yog [George] said that he wrote ‘Last Christmas’ with the intention of writing a Christmas No 1. It’s mission accomplished!”

The collectable George Michael are available now to purchase from the Royal Mint’s website in a range of styles, including a 2oz gold coin. Prices start from £15.50 for a £5 denomination, with the gold coin on sale for £5,305.