The Royal Mint has unveiled a new 50p coin to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. The reverse side of the coin, designed by David Lawrence with support from the Imperial War Museums, features Allied soldiers disembarking on Normandy beaches, accompanied by aircraft overhead. The obverse side displays the official coinage portrait of the King.

In a special release event, French sand artist Jehan-Benjamin Tarain, with help from Sam Dougados, recreated the coin design as a 35-meter-diameter sand artwork on Gold Beach, taking five hours and 30 minutes to complete. This beach was one of the five assault beaches—Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword—where Allied troops landed during Operation Overlord.

The coin includes the inscription: “D-Day 6 June 1944 Utah Omaha Gold Juno Sword.” It is available for purchase on the Royal Mint’s website, with prices starting at £12.