08 October 2012
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The Royal Mint issues its first ever Remembrance Day coin
The Royal Mint has issued its first ever commemorative coin for Remembrance Day, on behalf of the island of Alderney. ...
The Royal Mint's new Remembrance Day coin, issued on behalf of the island of Alderney, is the first Remembrance Day commemorative coin the Mint has ever issued.
The coin, struck to Brilliant Uncirculated and Proof standard, has been issued to remember those who have died for their country, with 50p from every sale of the cupro-nickel Brilliant Uncirculated coin and £5 from every sale of the Silver Proof coin donated by The Royal Mint to The Royal British Legion in support of the charity.
The coin, designed by Royal Mint's Emma Noble, features the words 'The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month’ which marked the end of World War One. The coin is also colour printed in red, for the Remembrance Day poppy. The obverse of the Remembrance Day 2012 commemorative coin bears the current portrait of The Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS and the year date 2012.
Emma Noble said of the coin: 'The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - it’s such a powerful moment. A moment the world remembers the bravery and the sacrifice. I wanted the coin to pinpoint that moment.'
The Remembrance Day 2012 Alderney £5 Brilliant Uncirculated Coin comes in a presentation folder whilst the Silver Proof coin is limited to 3,000 and housed in a black case with a certificate of authenticity included. To purchase the coin, visit The Royal Mint's website.
The Remembrance Day poppy
The story of the poppy as the symbol of the Remembrance Day memorial ceremony dates back to the poppy-covered battle fields of the First World War. In 1915 a volunteer medical officer, John McCrae, was inspired to write ‘In Flanders Fields’ after witnessing poppies flourishing on battlefields and the graves of the fallen. Two days before the Armistice, the poem inspired Moina Michael to wear a poppy in remembrance of the war dead. She in turn inspired Madame Guerin to sell handmade poppies around Armistice Day to help veterans and their families. The tradition remains significant today and the new 2012 Remembrance Day coin is a fitting tribute to the bravery of our Armed Forces.
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