"Fans of Harry Potter will soon be able to spend legal coins bearing his image. The gold, silver and cupro nickel coins feature Harry casting a magic spell on one side and the Queen on the other.

They will be legal tender on the Isle of Man and - at shopkeepers' discretion - on mainland Britain.

The gold coin, which is around the size of a five pence piece, will retail at £39.95 but will have a street value of just 5p.

The cupro nickel and silver coins, which are both larger than a 50p coin, will sell for £9.95 and £39.95 respectively and are both worth 25p.

The coins will be struck at Pobjoy Mint in Kingswood, Surrey, where the gold and silver versions are limited to 10,000 and 15,000 issues. The cupro nickel coin has no limit.

Managing director Taya Pobjoy said: "We are expecting demand for these coins to be immense. We only announced the news today and we are being inundated by telephone calls.

"The coins will make wonderful collectors items and we are proud to be associated with such a popular literary phenomenon as Harry Potter.

"There is a scene in the first Harry Potter book in which he goes to the bank and withdraws coins left to him by his parents, so it seems particularly apt to produce legal tender featuring Harry himself."

The first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, is being produced as a film by Warner Bros. The coins will be issued in the autumn to coincide with its release."