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Caption:

Design for Samuel Johnson fifty pence coin 2005



Final design
ink on paper

Working drawing
ink on envelope

To mark the 250th Anniversary of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language in 2005 the Royal Mint commissioned Tom Phillips to design a commemorative fifty pence coin.

The design incorporates entries from the Dictionary for the words FIFTY and PENCE, with the figure 50 above, and the inscription JOHNSON'S DICTIONARY 1755 below.

17,649,000 were minted.