In 2019, to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Europe, the Royal Mint is releasing a Limited Issue D-Day Landings Piedfort £2 Two Pound Silver Proof Coin struck in solid .925 Sterling Silver.
Plans to liberate Europe began in earnest in the Spring of 1943. Under the Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D Eisenhower , the air, sea and land might of Britain, the Commonwealth and the United States, as well as units from virtually every occupied country in Europe, were to form the largest invasion force ever seen.
By the Spring of 1944 more than three million men had gathered in Southern England in readiness for the Normandy Landings . It was realized that an invasion was likely in the Summer of 1944 but the exact date and location remained one of the best-kept secrets of the War. Thus Operation Overlord , one of the most difficult military operations ever undertaken, was able to begin just after midnight on 6th June 1944 - in the first hour of the day that would forever be known as D-Day . The Allied invasion force filling the sea and sky and heading for Normandy on 6th June vividly captured on this splendid commemorative coin. The design was created by Stephen Taylor features the map with the five different beaches codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The obverse features the Fifth Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark .
These legal tender coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks.
Piedforts are coins which have been specially struck on thicker than normal blanks. As their name suggests they are closely associated with France, where from the twelfth century they were apparently issued by the Kings as presentation pieces. In Britain the practice of striking piedforts is later and less frequent, but medieval and Tudor examples are known.
Royal Mint Product Code - UK19DDPF
Limited Mintage of 1,594 Worldwide
Double the Thickness and Weight of it's Standard Counterpart
Finished to Royal Mint's Proof Quality
Produced in collaboration with Imperial War Museums (IWM)
The Only Official UK Coin to Mark the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings
Uncover the secret operations which paved the way to D-Day in the fascinating story booklet accompanying the coin
