Two Pounds 2019 D-Day, Coin from United Kingdom - detailed information

The bi-metallic £2 coin is the largest circulating coin denomination of the Pound Sterling. It was introduced in 1998 (earlier two pound coins were made of Nickel brass, were intended as commemorative, and did not circulate much). Being bi-metallic means that the coin comprises two separate components of differing alloys; the outer ring of the coins is made of Nickel-Brass (76% copper, 4% nickel, 20% zinc) and the inner circle is CuproNickel (75% copper, 25% nickel).

The Royal Mint maintains a "definitive" style of the £2 issued annually, as well as a large variety of one-year circulating commemorative types.

In 2017, the mint also started issuing some Non-Circulating Legal Tender (NCLT) £2 coins for collectors. These are included in the annual mint sets or are issued separately, but are not released into general circulation. Their themes celebrate important anniversaries or people, as well as iconic aspects of British culture and history.

This £2 coin marks 75th anniversary of D-Day.The Normandy landings were the landing operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day, it was the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation began the liberation of German-occupied France (and later western Europe) and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front.

The Royal Mint says:
"On 6 June 1944 the attack Hitler feared finally came. Allied Forces converged on five Normandy beaches - unprecedented in scale, this was an all-out assault by land, sea and air. With the beachheads secured, the Allies could fight their way inland and liberate occupied Europe. On the 75th anniversary of D-Day, we retell the story of the plan that turned the tide of the Second World War.

Turning to military maps and period artwork for inspiration, Royal Mint graphic designer Stephen Taylor pays tribute to this daring undertaking on this commemorative £2 coin."

These £2 coins were struck in various collector formats but none were issued into general circulation.