Let's take a look at the 1994 D-Day Landings 50p in detail, looking at it's history, the design of the coin and how much it is worth in today's market.
Intriguing, rare, and a little retro – that's how we would describe the 1994 D-Day Landings 50p. As one of the most popular coins in the Royal Mint's history, it is a great coin to add to your collection.
Since its first release, this coin has been popular with coin collectors because it celebrates an important moment in history and has a unique design not found on any other coins.
The History of 1994 D-Day 50p
In 1994, the Royal Mint released a commemorative coin to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Normandy Landings. This event, which took place on June 6th, was a pivotal moment in World War II and helped liberate Europe from Nazi control.
This coin was minted in three versions:
- The standard cupro-nickel variant for general circulation
- A silver proof version
- A gold proof version
The cupro-nickel variant was minted 6.7 million times, while the other two versions saw limited releases, with 40,000 mintage of the silver proof coin and only 1,877 mintage of the gold-proof coin.
The D-Day Landings 50p was introduced as the largest coin in circulation after the smaller 50p and 10p coins in 1990 and 1992, respectively. It was also the only coin minted in 1994. The D-Day Landings 50p circulated for four years before its demonetisation in 1998. There were 6,705,520 in circulation.
The Design of the Coin
D-Day 50p is a seven-sided coin that's easily distinguishable from round coins. It's also 5g heavier and 3mm larger than newer coins.
The design on the 1994 D-Day 50p is incredibly intricate and detailed, commemorating the Allied landing in Normandy. It received excellent praise and made the coin a favourite among collectors.
The reverse side of the coin depicts a dramatic display of the Allied invasion force headed for the beaches of Normandy from Southern England by air and sea. It was designed by sculptor and artist John Mills.
The impressive fleet of aircraft comprised Hawker Tempests, Douglas C-47 Skytrains, Spitfires, American B-24s and B-17 Flying Fortresses, and Typhoons and Lancaster bombers.
In the sea are five landing crafts and personnel boats carrying munitions and men. The value 50 PENCE is inscripted to the right in the middle of the coin. The detail is very striking and unique.
This is not the only reverse of a coin to be designed by sculptor John Mills; he has designed the 1995 £2 single metal Dove of Peace, the 1996 £2 single metal Football coin, the 1998 EU stars 50p coin and also the bi-metallic 2003 Double Helix DNA £2 coin. Mills is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and is well known for his works at the National Firefighters Memorial at St Paul's cathedral in London and the Women of World War II in Whitehall, London.
The coin's obverse features the Third Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Raphael David Maklouf. The Queen, facing right, is adorned with the royal diadem, a pearl necklace, and earrings. The third portrait was first introduced in 1985 and used up until 1997.
The designer's initials RDM are stamped on the neck truncation. Inscriptions around the edge of the coin display the monarch's legend and the issue date: ELIZABETH II D · G · REG · F · D · 1994.
The Rarity and Worth of the Coin
The D-Day Landings 50p remains a very popular coin, especially as it is no longer in circulation and despite its large mintage of 6.7 million. We've seen a bidder willing to give £53 (106 times the original value) for a Silver Piedfort variant of the coin. In another scenario, a seller raked in £31 for a copy.
If you're lucky enough to own a D-Day Landings 50p, you can easily fetch a price higher than its face value. As with all coins, it all depends on the condition of the coin and of course the competition to buy it at that time. We estimate this coin in great or uncirculated condition to worth between £6-£10. Coins in poorer condition would fetch less and be around £4 - £6.
Where Can You Buy 1994 D-Day 50p?
We have this coin for sale, you can Buy it here
Some online platforms sell 1994 D-Day Landings 50p coins in circulated condition, including eBay and Amazon. Just the usual warning when buying from auction sites, please buy from reputable suppliers with good feedback.
Please note, this coin is no longer available at the Royal Mint but to see which coins are please visit their website.
1 comment
G G Fletcher
Very interesting read I have a 1994 50 pence and was interested if it had any value it was passed to me a few weeks ago but instead of handing it back saying it was an old coin I thought that I would keep thanks again GGF