The coin’s reverse, designed by David Lawrence in collaboration with the Imperial War Museums, depicts Allied soldiers disembarking onto the Normandy beaches, with offensive aircraft overhead. The design is accompanied by the inscription “D-DAY 6 JUNE 1944 UTAH OMAHA GOLD JUNO SWORD”, referring to the code names given to the five assault beaches that formed at of part of ‘Operation Overlord’.

In the early hours of 6 June 1944, troops from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and other Allied nations stormed five beaches in Normandy, France, aiming to break through Hitler’s Atlantic Wall defences. Known as D-Day, this date marked the beginning of the liberation of Europe.

To commemorate the coin’s release, French sand artist Jehan-Benjamin Tarain, supported by fellow artist Sam Dougados, recreated the D-Day 80 coin design on Gold Beach. This beach saw nearly 25,000 men of the British 50th Division land. The sand art, scaled at 35 metres in diameter, took five and a half hours to complete.

Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at The Royal Mint, said: “Coins have long served as reminders of pivotal moments in history.

“We are proud to unveil this tribute to the courage and resilience of British and Allied troops eight decades ago, which will serve as a permanent reminder of their sacrifices and bravery.”

David Fenton, assistant director of commercial at Imperial War Museums, said: “We are delighted to be able to support The Royal Mint’s D-Day 50p coin to mark the anniversary.

“D-Day was the largest combined naval, air and land operation in the history of warfare. This coin is a poignant reminder of those who fought so bravely and sacrificed so much during this intrepid mission.”

The sand artist responsible for leading on the creation, Jehan-Benjamin Tarain (also known as Jben), said: “This project has been extremely special. The Royal Mint’s commemorative coin marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day is a fitting tribute to all that served during World War II.

“My team and I feel very fortunate to have played a role in helping to translate the craftmanship seen in the design of this coin into a piece of sand art on one of the beaches where troops landed. This collaboration plays an important reminder of the united allied effort between French and British forces 80 years ago.”

The official 50p coin is available to purchase via The Royal Mint’s website.