Catalog
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| Issuer | Royal Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 2019 |
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| Shape | Equilateral curve heptagon (7-sided) |
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| Reverse description | Commemorative design by James Butler marking the 65th anniversary of Roger Bannister's historic sub-four-minute mile run of 1954. The central motif depicts the lower legs and feet of a sprinting athlete in dynamic forward motion, rendered in high relief. Behind the figure, a stylised analogue stopwatch face fills the background field, evoking the landmark achievement. The denomination 50 PENCE appears below the primary design, flanked by the engraver's initials JB. |
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| Mintage | 2019 - Proof - 71 |
| Additional information |
Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile on 6 May 1954 at Oxford's Iffley Road track, paced by Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher in a race organized specifically to achieve the barrier. The 2019 issue marks 65 years since that run — an awkward anniversary by conventional reckoning, chosen because Bannister died in March 2018, making a delayed tribute the practical outcome rather than a planned one.
Bannister himself was consulted on earlier commemorative projects before his death at 88.