European Mints Commemorate 80 Years Since D-Day

On 6 June 1944, the largest amphibious assault in history took place on five Normandy beaches in northern France. Also commonly known as ‘D-Day’, this year is the 80th anniversary of the event, which is noted as key to the eventual liberation of Western Europe during the Second World War. Several European mints have produced coins to commemorate the occasion – amongst them The Royal Mint, Monnaie de Paris, and the Royal Dutch Mint.

The Royal Mint

The Royal Mint produced a commemorative 50p coin to mark D-Day, paying tribute to fallen Allied troops and veterans. Designed by David Lawrence, with support from the UK’s Imperial War Museums, the reverse depicts Allied soldiers disembarking a landing craft onto the beaches of Normandy with offensive aircraft in the sky above. ‘D-Day’ and the date, and the codenames of the five designated landing areas are inscribed above and below the central design, respectively.