Royal Mint launches first-ever augmented reality dinosaur coins

Royal Mint have released some very special dino coins.

Not only do they have amazing pictures of dinosaurs on them but they also are the first-ever to use augmented reality (AR).

Royal Mint, which makes most of the the UK's coins, used the latest colour printing techniques to vividly show the megalosaurus, iguanodon and hylaeosaurus on the coins.

It worked closely with experts at the Natural History Museum to try to bring the prehistoric creatures to life.

The coins feature the dinosaurs and show where and when the first fossil was discovered.

After receiving the coin, collectors can use AR to scan the packaging to unearth facts, clips and images about the prehistoric beasts.

Fossils from the megalosaurus, iguanodon and hylaeosaurus led British anatomist Sir Richard Owen, the founder of the Natural History Museum, to first use the term 'dinosauria' in 1842.

Dino facts

Megalosaurus was the first dinosaur to be named. It lived around 166 million years ago, during the mid-Jurassic period. It stood on two legs, and had short arms and a long tail. Its powerful jaws were filled with long teeth - ideal for cutting through meat!

Iguanodons lived in the early Cretaceous Period (around 125 million years ago). They were herbivorous and grew up to 12 metres long! They weighed 3.5 tons (about as much as a van).

Hylaeosaurus means 'woodland lizard'. It lived during the early Cretaceous Period, about 135-119 million years ago. A herbivore, it had short legs, a narrow head with a pointed snout, a long, heavy tail, and spikes along its shoulders and sides to protect it.