It’s all go for television coins with the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who having just passed in 2013, and Star Treks 50th to come in 2016 with the first coins due any day. In between those two comes the 50th anniversary of a show that for me at least, easily stands alongside those two greats; Thunderbirds.

The greatest of Gerry Anderson’s puppet-based creations, Thunderbirds chronicles the adventures of International Rescue, a mysterious rescue organisation using ultra-advanced equipment to save lives. Set in 2065 and run by the Tracy Family, headed by ex-astronaut father Jeff and crewed by his five sons, the 32 episodes filmed are some of the most entertaining of their genre.

Filmed between 1964 and 1966, it used pioneering scale-model special effects sequences in a hybrid filming technique they called “Supermarionation”. One if the most expensive television series of all time when it was filmed, the show spawned two movies in 1966 and 1968. A 2004 live-action movie was also released to a universal critical mauling and rightly so; an absolutely appalling movie that should be avoided like the plague. The new series coming this spring looks like it has potential and lets hope its not just for the kids.

The first coin is depicted below and is a nice start, but keep going for a world-exclusive first-look at the whole series thanks to the New Zealand Mint.