Royal Mint Marks Military History With Special Coins

Britain's coin maker, the Royal Mint, has released a pair of special coins to commemorate two important military anniversaries.

One of the designs features the words of the poet Wilfred Owen, and commemorates the end of the First World War in 1918.

The other is a tribute to the Royal Air Force, which is celebrating its centenary.

Royal Mint Graphic Designer, Rhys Morgan, wanted to combine different aspects of the work of the RAF, and eventually came up with the design following an exploration of the history of the service.

"The shape of the RAF badge fits perfectly well with the shape of the coin"

The coin also features the RAF motto "Per Ardua ad Astra" which translates to "Through Adversity to the Stars".

The paper design is then turned into a solid form that can be assessed by the coin design manager, Lee Jones, who inspects the final cast.

"The true test is, if you can look at it with the naked eye and appreciate that there's a lot of detail in there, we've achieved our job"

The finished coins are produced by hand for collectors and by machine for general circulation.