Britannia rules the waves on new £20 coin design

The Royal Mint has released a new nautical-themed £20 coin to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One

Nautical numismatics will surely delight at the new design from the Royal Mint, which depicts Britannia seeing off British ships at the start of World War One.

The design was launched this week (24 September) to commemorate 100 years since the advent of The Great War, and aims to capture the art deco style that was prevalent at the time.

Minted in fine silver, this collector’s coin is available to order for the face value of £20, although with the run limited to 250,000, that value is likely to rise over time.

The limited-edition design follows a previous run of 250,000 £20 coins that were released last year and have already completely sold out.

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John Burgdahl, sculptor and designer, said: “I decided to use the figure of Britannia in order to represent all of the allies who took part, most of whom were British or drawn from the British Empire.

“I combined inspiration from two sources: the South African medal for war services and the First World War memorial plaque awarded to those who died.”

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