John Lennon coin issued by UK Royal Mint By GREGORY KATZ,
Associated Press | Fri Oct 29, 11:08 am ET
LONDON
– Most British coins bear the likeness of Queen Elizabeth
II — but now she's been joined by John Lennon, honored
Friday with a commemorative coin struck by the Royal Mint.
It was a triumph for Beatle fans, who used e-mail voting
and social networks to buttress support for Lennon in a
public poll to determine whose face should be on the special
coin.
Lennon _whose songwriting credits include "Imagine"
and "Strawberry Fields Forever" — came out
far ahead of author Jane Austen and several other figures
in the balloting.
"It's entirely fitting that John Lennon has been chosen
by the public in what would have been his 70th year,"
said Dave Knight, director of Commemorative Coin at the
Royal Mint. "The massive proportion of the vote he
received shows clearly just how much his untimely death
still resonates with the nation. He ranks alongside, and
even ahead of, some of the greatest names in history."
The former Beatle will join William Shakespeare, Winston
Churchill, Charles Darwin, Florence Nightingale among British
luminaries whose images have graced special coins.
The issuing of the silver commemorative coin marks one
more step in the British establishment's posthumous embrace
of Lennon, whose political stance and open drug use brought
him into conflict with authorities in the late 1960s before
he moved to New York, where he was murdered in 1980.
The airport at Lennon's home town of Liverpool has been
named after Lennon, and there is a statue of him in the
city center.
The limited edition coin shows Lennon with long hair and
sideburns and his trademark round glasses. It will have
a face value of 5 pounds ($8) but will be sold for 44.99
pounds. Only 5,000 will be offered for sale.
The Royal Mint also plans to produce a single coin in 24
karat gold that will be given to Lennon's estate.