A new 50p coin marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings has been released.
The design, depicting Allied soldiers running from a landing craft on to the beaches of Normandy, has been revealed ahead of the anniversary on June 6.
During Operation Overlord in World War II, Allied forces parachuted into drop zones across northern France.
Troops landed across five assault beaches – Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword, which inspired the coin’s inscription: ‘D-Day 6 June 1944 Utah Omaha Gold Juno Sword.’
The ‘heads’ side of the coin features the official coinage portrait of the King, while the ‘tails’ side was designed by David Lawrence with support from Imperial War Museums.
Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, said: ‘Coins have long served as reminders of pivotal moments in history.
‘We are proud to unveil this tribute to the courage and resilience of British and Allied troops eight decades ago, which will serve as a permanent reminder of their sacrifices and bravery.’
David Fenton, assistant director of commercial at Imperial War Museums, said: ‘We are delighted to be able to support the Royal Mint’s D-Day 50p coin to mark the anniversary.
‘D-Day was the largest combined naval, air and land operation in the history of warfare.
‘This coin is a poignant reminder of those who fought so bravely and sacrificed so much during this intrepid mission.’
To mark the release, sand artist Jehan-Benjamin Tarain Sam Dougados recreated the new coin’s design on Gold beach.
The huge sand artwork measured in at 35 metres in diameter and took more than five hours to create.
Jehan-Benjamin, who is also known as Jben, said: ‘This project has been extremely special.
‘My team and I feel very fortunate to have played a role in helping to translate the craftmanship seen in the design of this coin into a piece of sand art on one of the beaches where troops landed.
‘This collaboration plays an important reminder of the united allied effort between French and British forces 80 years ago.’
The coins are available to buy from the Royal Mint’s website, with prices starting from £12, with shoppers being added to a virtual queue before being granted access to the website.
Limited edition offerings include a run of 1,000 Sovereigns featuring the design for £850, or a run of 8,000 coin sets including the 50p piece and a 1944 George VI farthing for £18.
There are also 5,000 silver proof coins priced at £61, a collector coin set for £80 with a run of 800, and 1,944 silver Piedfort proof coins available at £113.50.
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