The 15th of February 2021 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the second D-day or Decimal Day as it was also known. To mark the occasion the Royal mint have introduced a new 50p design that features parts of the iconic pre-decimal coins as part of its reverse.
However, when it comes to decimal coinage, the coins we know today could have been a little bit different. If you were to visit the Royal Mint exhibition at Llantrisant (lockdowns and Covid-19 dependent of course) then you may be able to catch a glimpse of some of these, as shown in the picture below. These appear to have been produced at the thought of decimalisation back in 1963, although it would be a few years before plans for decimalisation would be acted upon.
I can only assume that the 20p is either the same size as a Half Crown or perhaps even a Double Florin (which on a like for like basis would have been 20 new pence).
