Here is the UK’s new Brexit coin – with the correct date
- Earlier batch had to be melted down when Brexit was delayed from October 31 to January 31
- The new coin bears the inscription ‘Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations’ and the new Brexit date
The UK will release about 3 million Brexit coins on Friday when the country officially leaves the European Union, marking the third version of the commemorative currency after the departure date was twice delayed.
The seven-sided, 50 pence (65 US cents) coin and are embossed with the January 31 date and “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations”, the Treasury said in a statement.
Last year, then Chancellor Philip Hammond planned a batch to commemorate the original March 29 Brexit day. When the UK’s exit was delayed, his successor Sajid Javid produced about a million of the coins stamped with the October 31 departure date. But those had to be melted down when Brexit was put off once more.
“Leaving the European Union is a turning point in our history and this coin marks the beginning of this new chapter,” Javid said in the statement. A further 7 million will enter circulation later this year.
The UK has used the 50 pence coin to celebrate national achievements ranging from the 2012 London Olympics to the work of children’s author Beatrix Potter.
The Royal Mint struck coins when the UK joined the European Economic Community in 1973, the single market in 1992 and held the rotating EU presidency in 1998.
Britain will leave the European Union at midnight on January 31. A transition period then kicks in, until at least December 31, 2020, to give London and Brussels time to negotiate their future relationship.