Royal Mint releases designs for five new 2020 commemorative coins

The Royal Mint has unveiled the designs for five new commemorative coins that will be released in 2020.

Here is what each coin will celebrate, and what their nominal value will be.

King George III

A silver £5 coin will commemorate the 200th anniversary of the end of King George III’s reign.

The Royal Mint will produce five new coin designs in 2020.

King George’s reign - one of the longest of any UK monarch - was marked by British victory over the French in the Seven Years War, as well as the loss of Britain’s American colonies in the war of independence.

Later in life, George suffered from recurring bouts of an unknown mental illness. Since his death, some historians have speculated that he suffered from bipolar disorder, though there is no conclusive evidence.

VE Day

Victory in Europe (VE) Day, commemorates the 1945 Allied defeat of the Nazis in the Second World War, and is usually celebrated on May 8 each year.

In the 75th anniversary year of VE Day, the Royal Mint will produce a £2 coin to recognise the milestone.

The face of the coin will show a woman celebrating the Allied victory in a crowd of people.

The Mayflower

Another major historical event that will be commemorated by the Royal Mint is the 400th anniversary of the voyage of the Mayflower in 1620.

The ship, with its 102 passengers, travelled from London to Plymouth, Massachusetts, to establish a colony there.

Many Americans consider the voyage to be the most important event in the foundation of their country.

During the dangerous Atlantic crossing, the male passengers signed a contract known as the Mayflower Compact, setting out a rudimentary form of democracy that is credited as a blueprint for the future United States constitution.

Agatha Christie

A new £2 coin will celebrate the memory of world famous crime writer, Agatha Christie, a century after her birth.

Christie, who created much-loved detective characters like Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, is listed as the single best-selling writer in history by Guinness World Records, with an estimated two billion copies of her work sold.

The design of the coin features a gun, a dagger, and a vial of poison set into a jigsaw pattern.

Tokyo Olympics

Ahead of this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, the Royal Mint is set to produce a coin celebrating Team GB.

The 50p coin’s design features boxing gloves, weights, a hockey stick, and many other pieces of sports equipment, alongside the Team GB lion mascot, and the five interlocked Olympic rings.