King George III’s reign and the 75th anniversary of VE Day are due to be commemorated on coins released this year, the Royal Mint has revealed.
The new British coin collection will also mark 100 years since Dame Agatha Christie published her first novel and celebrate Team GB in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Marking 200 years since the end of King George III’s reign, a new £5 coin will commemorate his time on the throne. Alongside a depiction of the former monarch, the coin features illustrations of the Copper Horse monument – a statue of the king on horseback that sits in the grounds of Windsor Castle – and the King’s Observatory in Richmond, south-west London, which he commissioned.
The issue of a £5 coin is usually reserved for special royal occasions.
A special £2 coin will be minted to commemorate the beginning of the end of the second world war, as 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
It depicts street parties and celebrations that erupted after news of Germany’s surrender on 8 May 1945. The coin is etched with a crowd of people appearing to smile and cheer and is emblazoned with the word “victory”.
Christie is to be commemorated on a coin for the first time to mark the centenary of her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. The £2 coin celebrating her legacy depicts a handgun, a bottle of poison and other icons related to one of the most successful crime fiction authors of all time.
Team GB will be honoured on a unique 50p coin to be released before the Games in Japan next summer.
Meanwhile, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the voyage of the Mayflower, the ship that carried 102 men, women and children from England to the US to establish a colony, another special £2 coin will be issued.
Nicola Howell, the chief commercial officer at the Royal Mint, said: “Our 2020 annual set commemorates a broad range of important historical events and people that have had a huge impact in how we live our lives today. Not only that, but in support of how proud they have made our nation, both in the past and present, we’re delighted to have unveiled a Team GB 2020 50p coin in support of our athletes heading to the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer.”