Five Pounds 2020 Red Cross, Coin from United Kingdom - detailed information

At the time of decimalisation in 1971, the United Kingdom Crown coin (equal to 5 shillings) was redenominated as a 25p coin and pieces struck prior to 1990 - all the way back to 1818 - continue to be legal tender for that amount. The old denomination had been a regular circulating coin in the 19th century, but in the 20th century it became more of a commemorative denomination.

The Royal Mint continued issuing commemorative coins in the same format - using the traditional coin dimensions, but in copper-nickel. These were initially also denominated as 25 pence but the "Crown" was changed in 1990 to a commemorative £5 (five pound) coin, having the same dimensions and weight but with a face value twenty times as great.

The denomination is used to mark special occasions, usually royal in theme, rather than for use in general circulation. Although not circulating, these coins are legal tender.

This £5 Crown-sized commemorative coin commemorates the 150th anniversary of the British Red Cross.

The Red Cross Movement began in 1863 with Henry Dunant and his inspiration for a kinder world. Appalled by the suffering he saw on all sides of a war, Henry Dunant called for all nations to come together to create trained volunteer relief groups to treat those sick and wounded on the battlefield, regardless of the side to which they belonged. Following the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, the National Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War was formed in Britain on the basis of these fundamental principles. The Society was renamed the British Red Cross and was granted its first Royal Charter in 1908 by King Edward VII.

The artist Henry Gray says about his design:
"The main challenge I found during this particular project was trying to marry the mainly historical public perception of the British Red Cross with its current brand positioning today. The space available to create a compelling narrative is very restrictive, so a distillation of a key theme or idea is often the only solution.

It was important to honour the military roots and historical reputation of overseas aid as they continue to play a big part to this day. Meanwhile, it was equally important to cover the five modern roles of the British Red Cross: crisis response, first aid, independent living, refugee and asylum seeker support, and international work.

With the richness of the British Red Cross's history and changing roles for the future, this coin needed to say many things to many people without being overtly descriptive of any single event or direction. This began with the emblem. The Red Cross emblem was designed to be understood instantly in the fog of war, to save and protect lives. The emblem itself encompasses the history of the charity and is arguably more recognisable than the organisation’s name.

As a result, I wanted to make sure the emblem took pride of place as a focal point of the design. I positioned the iconic red cross in the prime central location to highlight this, opting to place the words around the edge of the design. I also felt it was equally important to include the UK in the design to reinforce the national element of the charity. As the British Red Cross is a proudly British organisation, I included the UK map in prominent position behind the emblem.

Building on this, I included a distinct background texture to represent the multiple touchpoints of the charity and reinforce the connectedness of the British Red Cross both at home and around the world. The image hopefully illustrates that the British Red Cross is and has always been connected - locally and globally - with networks of support and the ability to respond to those in need with kindness.

The inclusion of the current British Red Cross slogan - "The Power of Kindness" - acts to reinforce this key message, highlighting the human element of the charity. My hope is that the coin design helps to raise the profile of the British Red Cross and aid them in the amazing work they carry out on a daily basis."