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Remember 1996?
Simpler times. Friends was wrapping up its second season; the first Mission: Impossible film hit cinemas, while the horror genre got rejuvenated with the release of Scream; The Fugees were killing us softly with their cover; Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow were the ultimate power couple; and a little group called the Spice Girls released their first single titled ‘Wannabe’.
The iconic girl power anthem reached number one in 37 countries, catapulted the band to global stardom and ushered in “Spicemania” – a craze that lasted roughly two years.
Symptoms included forgetting that legendary punk outfit Bikini Kill had already coined the term “Girl Power” in 1991, suddenly wanting to zig-a-zig-ah whatever you could get your hands on, and the triggering of sexual awakenings when seeing Geri’s Union Jack dress – all under the guise of changing the mid-90s pop music landscape and embodying “Cool Britania”.
Well, this year marks three decades since the release of ‘Wannabe’, and the UK’s Royal Mint aren’t going to let the anniversary pass without celebrating the Spice Girls on official coins.
The design of the collectable £5 denomination coins was created by artist Ffion Rees and it captures the silhouettes of all five band members – Melanie Chisholm (Sporty Spice), Emma Bunton (Baby Spice), Geri Halliwell-Horner (Ginger Spice), Melanie Brown (Scary Spice) and Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice).
Or should that be Dosh Spice now?
In a first for the Royal Mint’s “music legends” coins collection, fans can choose their favourite Spice Girl with five different packaging designs for the uncirculated colour versions of the coins. Each of the five packaging designs is “strictly” limited to 15,000 coins worldwide, according to the Royal Mint.
Lucy Mackenzie, director of digital and product concept at the Royal Mint, said: “The Spice Girls didn’t just dominate pop music, they defined the 90s.”
“Now, for the first time, fans and collectors everywhere can own a piece of that legacy. The unique packaging celebrating each Spice Girl makes it one of our most collectable music legends releases.”
A statement from the band said: “It’s a huge honour for us to be celebrated by the Royal Mint and follow in the footsteps of some true music icons. 2026 marks a special year for us as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of our debut single and album. We could never have imagined that we would be recognised in this way – the first female group to be given their very own coin… What a moment for Girl Power!”
Other artists to have featured on the Royal Mint’s ongoing music legends coin series, include Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Dame Shirley Bassey, John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
The collection is available to buy from the Royal Mint’s website on 3 March. Prices start at £18.50 (€21) and go up to £10,535 (€12,000) for a 2oz gold proof coin in a £200 denomination.
Zig-a-zig-ouch.