10 July 2015
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New Battle of Britain 50p coin from The Royal Mint
A new 50p coin featuring pilots who took part in the Battle of Britain has been issued by The Royal Mint to mark the 75th anniversary of the historic Second World War aerial battle. ...
A new 50p coin featuring pilots who took part in the Battle of Britain has been issued by The Royal Mint to mark the 75th anniversary of the historic Second World War aerial battle.
The coin, designed by Gary Breeze, features an obverse showing a trio of airmen scrambling for their planes ready to counter the threat of enemy aircraft approaching overhead. Gary Breeze is a renowned sculptor with major commissions found throughout the UK, including the Bali Bombing Memorial at Horse Guards Road, London and the Christ Church Cloister fountain in Oxford.
He said of his Battle of Britain coin: ‘In some ways the Battle of Britain appeals to our innate joy at winning against tremendous odds. I wanted to celebrate that in one sense. But I think that remembering the cost of war is more relevant today. I spent a good deal of time concentrating on the machines at first, but the aircraft didn't say enough about the sacrifice of life or the meaning of the Battle today.
‘I've always recalled my grandfather talking of the skies being dark because there were so many bombers. I believe he was in fact talking about our own planes flying out, but I wanted to illustrate that threat and sense of danger. I would like people to be reminded of the selfless sacrifice of the Few. The airmen run away from us. They don't walk slowly to their fate, and we may never see them again.’
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
The Battle of Britain is the named given to the airborne defence of Britain’s against enemy aircraft during the summer of 1940. Of the almost 3,000 pilots who took part, one in six lost their lives in action. By October of that year, it became clear that Hitler would be unable to carry out his planned invasion of Britain – the Battle of Britain had been won.
THE 50P COIN
The 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain 2015 50p is expected to enter general circulation later this year in recognition of the commemorations. It is also available from The Royal Mint in limited edition mintages as a Silver Proof Coin, Silver Proof Piedfort Coin or as a Gold Proof Coin, and in a Brilliant Uncirculated finish.
For more information, visit The Royal Mint website.
For all the latest coin and stamp news and new issues, buy Stamp & Coin Mart magazine.
(Image copyright The Royal Mint)
The coin, designed by Gary Breeze, features an obverse showing a trio of airmen scrambling for their planes ready to counter the threat of enemy aircraft approaching overhead. Gary Breeze is a renowned sculptor with major commissions found throughout the UK, including the Bali Bombing Memorial at Horse Guards Road, London and the Christ Church Cloister fountain in Oxford.
He said of his Battle of Britain coin: ‘In some ways the Battle of Britain appeals to our innate joy at winning against tremendous odds. I wanted to celebrate that in one sense. But I think that remembering the cost of war is more relevant today. I spent a good deal of time concentrating on the machines at first, but the aircraft didn't say enough about the sacrifice of life or the meaning of the Battle today.
‘I've always recalled my grandfather talking of the skies being dark because there were so many bombers. I believe he was in fact talking about our own planes flying out, but I wanted to illustrate that threat and sense of danger. I would like people to be reminded of the selfless sacrifice of the Few. The airmen run away from us. They don't walk slowly to their fate, and we may never see them again.’
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
The Battle of Britain is the named given to the airborne defence of Britain’s against enemy aircraft during the summer of 1940. Of the almost 3,000 pilots who took part, one in six lost their lives in action. By October of that year, it became clear that Hitler would be unable to carry out his planned invasion of Britain – the Battle of Britain had been won.
THE 50P COIN
The 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain 2015 50p is expected to enter general circulation later this year in recognition of the commemorations. It is also available from The Royal Mint in limited edition mintages as a Silver Proof Coin, Silver Proof Piedfort Coin or as a Gold Proof Coin, and in a Brilliant Uncirculated finish.
For more information, visit The Royal Mint website.
For all the latest coin and stamp news and new issues, buy Stamp & Coin Mart magazine.
(Image copyright The Royal Mint)
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