Royal Mint VE Day coin: new commemorative 50p coins released to mark 80th anniversary of WWII's end in 2025

The Royal Mint has unveiled a new 50p coin commemorating VE Day and the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

The special edition coin features a dove of peace and the inscription "In peace goodwill", a tribute to a design that first appeared on a 1995 £2 coin created for the war’s 50th anniversary.

The coins will be available to purchase from Thursday, May 1 via the Royal Mint’s website, in a variety of finishes including brilliant uncirculated, silver, and gold. On May 8, 2025 - VE Day’s 80th anniversary - the Mint will also strike a special edition in gold.

Prices for the VE Day 50p start at £14.50 for a brilliant uncirculated coin, and rise to £1,725 for the gold coin minted on May 8. A 10-coin VE Day 80th anniversary set will also be available, priced at £1,640.

To celebrate the launch, the Royal Mint welcomed guests from the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans to its South Wales site. Among them were 98-year-old Ron Horsey and 101-year-old Richard Pelzer, both from Swansea and veterans of the Royal Engineers, who were given a behind-the-scenes tour and invited to take part in the coin striking process.

“I’m incredibly proud to have been invited to the Royal Mint to strike this coin,” said Horsey. “VE Day holds such meaning for me and many others, and to be able to strike this design representing peace on to a coin all these years later is truly moving. I hope this coin reminds people of the freedom we enjoy today and the cost at which it came.”

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The guests from the Taxi Charity, which provides London cab services to veterans in and around London, enjoyed breakfast at the Mint before being shown around the facilities and meeting some of the coin production team. They were then invited to strike a hot, blank 50p coin with a special hammer in the Royal Mint’s striking bay.

The coin design is a familiar one to many, having been used for the 50th anniversary of VE Day in 1995 when the £2 coin was first introduced with the dove of peace motif and the words "In peace goodwill". The coins were distributed into circulation in 1995 and 1996, and the design was later used again in 2005 for a silver proof coin to mark the 60th anniversary of VE Day.

The new 50p coin will be available in a range of finishes from 1 May and in a special gold edition on 8 May from the Royal Mint’s online shop.

The coin is a testament to the enduring legacy of World War II and a symbol of hope and unity for generations to come.

"This coin is a small token of our gratitude to the men and women who fought for our freedom," said Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint. "We are honored to be able to continue this tradition of coin collecting with the 80th anniversary of VE Day."

The Royal Mint is known for commemorating key moments in British history. Recent coin releases include a Red Arrows 50p, unveiled earlier this year at an event at RAF Brize Norton, a Stories of the Second World War 50p, and a D-Day 80th anniversary 50p.

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