Royal Mint issues commemorative £5 John Lennon coin

Late John Lennon has been immortalised in a commemorative 5 pounds coin that has gone on sale for 44.99 pounds only weeks after what would have been his 70th birthday.

Lennon won the Royal Mint’s public vote for the next “Great Briton” to be immortalised on a limited edition coin, joining William Shakespeare, Sir Winston Churchill, Charles Darwin and Florence Nightingale in the series.

Fans of the former Beatles member launched Facebook and Twitter campaigns to ensure he came out on top, and a total of 27,874 people, 92 percent of those who voted, nominated Lennon for the 5 pounds coin.

A one-off 24-carat gold version of the coin will be given to the John Lennon Estate.

“It’s entirely fitting that John Lennon has been chosen by the public in what would have been his 70th year,” the BBC quoted Dave Knight, director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, as saying.

“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 and the Royal Mint is proud to commemorate a genuine British legend,” he added.