A new collectable coin has been released by the Royal Mint in a bid to celebrate the life of British scientist and codebreaker Alan Turing.
Best known for breaking the German Enigma code during World War Two, leading to victory over Nazi Germany, he is said to have saved tens of thousand of lives with historians stating that he may have actually shorted the war by four years.
The computer genius already features on the new polymer £50 note and now for the first time, the Royal Mint will honour him on a coin which can only be purchased as part of a collectable piece.
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Designed by artists Matt Dent and Christian Davies, the special coin will be available in gold, silver and base metal. The reverse side of the coin features the name Alan Turing alongside an image of the Bombe machine used during the Second World War.
And in a special nod to his work, the designers have incorporated hidden word sequences as part of the 50p design - each one represents a Turing quote and significant location, as well as the designers’ initials.
Due to it only being available as part of a collection, as reported by the Mirror, the uncirculated coin means it won't be widely released for use of everyday transactions. Because of this it's less likely you’ll find the Alan Turing 50p in your spare change - although not impossible, if someone were to spend one.
Nicola Howell, Chief Commercial Officer at The Royal Mint said: “Alan Turing was a scientific innovator whose work shaped Britain and it is fitting that his life and achievements will be commemorated for the first time on a collectable 50p.
“Made at the home of precious metals, where we have a rich heritage of British craftsmanship and innovation, the collectable Alan Turing coin will honour the father of computing in a range of gold, silver and base metal finishes.
“The release is the sixth and final 50p in the Innovation in Science collection and the design by Matt Dent and Christian Davies concludes the series brilliantly by incorporating hidden messages as part of the design, which we know is popular with collectors of the science series.”
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