In Lieu Of Spoons, Babies Sharing The Birthday Of The Royal Heir, Will Be Given Commemorative Silver Pennies

The child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will certainly be born with a silver spoon, but the Royal Mint plans to extend that luck (more or less) to all babies born on the same day. The Mint has issued a special batch of commemorative pennies to gift to babies, who share the birthday of the third in line. The 2,013 (see what they did there?) 1p coins have been stamped with the current year and each one is worth £28.

Shane Bissett, director of commemorative coins at the Royal Mint, commented for the BBC: "The birth of the royal baby will be a joyous occasion not just for Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge but also for the whole nation, as we prepare to celebrate another remarkable milestone in their life journey together.

"However, it will also be a special day for many mothers and fathers across the country as they too welcome the arrival of their new baby, hence why we wanted to extend this historical moment to them with a lucky silver penny".

According to old lore, giving a baby a silver penny is a way of wishing them a happy and healthy life. The parents of babies born on the day will be able to get the coins for free, by registering online up to 60 days after their little one has arrived and providing the child’s birth certificate.