South Wales designer inspired by military maps for The Royal Mint’s D-Day commemorative coin.

• Often cited as the day that turned the tide of the Second World War, the epic story of the Normandy landings is being retold on a special edition commemorative £2 coin.
• Inspired by military maps, the coin depicts the enormous scale of the D-Day landings and Operation Overlord.
• The commemorative coin is available exclusively at royalmint.com, and can be purchased in Gold and Silver Proof, Silver Proof Piedfort and Brilliant Uncirculated finishes.

A South Wales designer has taken inspiration from military maps to depict the strategy taken by the Allies to land on the five Normandy beaches as the foundation of this year’s D-Day £2 commemorative coin. Stephen Taylor, from Margam, near Port Talbot, has been a Designer for The Royal Mint, in Llantrisant, South Wales, for nearly 8 years.

On 6 June 1944, the Allies invaded Normandy in the largest amphibious assault in history. With a huge invasion force the Allies stormed five beaches code named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. Overcoming a series of defences known as the Atlantic Wall, the Allies were able to secure a foothold on the continent and begin the liberation of occupied Europe. The landings were a crucial turning point in the Second World War and were pivotal in the eventual Allied victory.

This is the fifth coin that Stephen has designed, other notable designs include the 1918 Representation of the People Act 50p, 2017 Remembrance Day £5 coin and the 2015 Longest Reigning Monarch coin.

The commemorative D-Day £2 coin, designed by Stephen represents the huge and unprecedented scale of the operation, which was an all‐out assault by land, sea and air. The coin was designed as a tribute to those who planned and participated in the epic feat.

Stephen comments on the inspiration behind his design, “I wanted the design to feel of the time, so I started researching period artwork, before moving on to military maps. Positioning the land at the bottom I started to build up the scale of the operation by adding arrows and code names for each beach. The fonts are inspired by markings on US, Canadian and British landing craft, capturing the spirit of international cooperation.”

Created in association with Imperial War Museums, The Royal Mint’s 2019 D‐Day commemorative coin is available to purchase from www.royalmint.com. Available in Gold Proof, Silver Proof, Silver Proof Piedfort and Brilliant Uncirculated finishes, prices start from £10. A donation from every D-Day coin purchased from The Royal Mint goes to IWM to help them continue their important work.