80 years on from El Alamein: The battle we simply had to win…
“Before Alamein we never had a victory. After we never had a defeat.”
Winston Churchill
It’s 1942 and the fortunes of war are running against the Allies on almost every front.
In the east, the Soviets are in collapse.
In the Atlantic, U-boats are crippling the ferrying-in of Britain’s vital supplies.
While, in western Europe, Nazi troops are the occupying force in country after country.
To North Africa, where Rommel’s Afrika Korps are trying to break through to the Suez Canal – and to that all important oil of the Middle East.
To stop them, the Egyptian village of El Alamein, situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the Qattara Depression, simply had to be held.
The defending Allies were represented by the Eighth Army – the ‘Desert Rats’, led by General Montgomery.
Montgomery had a plan. He would launch a diversionary attack to the south, while the main attack would come from the north, nearer to the coast.
And 80 years ago, on the night of 23-24 October 1942, the attack began.
A noise so great, the gunners’ ears bled
It started with the firing of over 800 artillery pieces at the German lines, creating a noise so great that, according to legend, the ears of the gunners bled.
When the infantry attacked, they were followed by tanks that moved through the minefield along a path cleared by engineers.
Outnumbered and under constant attack from land and air forces, on November 4th, Rommel, refusing to carry out Hitler’s suicidal order to fight to the last, retreated.
Image Credit: Chetwyn (Sgt), No 1 Army Film & Photographic Unit.
The Battle of El Alamein, fought in the deserts of North Africa with tank warfare at the heart of it, was undoubtedly one of the pivotal battles of World War II.
The battle revived the morale of the Allies and helped turn the tide during the war. As Churchill noted, “After Alamein we never had a defeat”.
The Battle of El Alamein NumisProof
A Silver Proof NumisProof Commemorative has been issued to mark the 80th Anniversary of the battle of El Alamein.
This stunning NumisProof has been struck from Sterling Silver to a perfect Proof finish, it features a full colour design created by world renowned digital artist Adam Tooby.
It depicts the two leading military commanders involved in the battle – Britain’s Bernard Montgomery and Germany’s Erwin Rommel, with the battle raging in the background.
For such an important anniversary of such an important WWII battle, you’ll be surprised by the edition limit. Just 250 have been authorised.
Today I invite you to be one of just 250 people in the world to own this scarce 80th anniversary commemorative.
Click here to own the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein NumisProof >>
The 2022 RBL Poppy Masterpiece – Creating a Masterpiece
Here at The Westminster Collection, we’ve had the privilege of working in partnership with the Royal British Legion for over a decade.
Each year, we issue bespoke coins and commemoratives for the RBL Poppy Appeal and Remembrance Day.
And we’re incredibly proud to have so far raised over £1 million for the Royal British Legion.
Unboxing the 2022 RBL Poppy Masterpiece
The Masterpiece is a remarkable coin and this year, creating the Masterpiece has more of a personal touch than ever before.
Each coin has been meticulously painted by hand, making each one unique.
Never has the name “Masterpiece” been more appropriate. Each coin is a work of art, but how do you go about creating 350 pieces of unique artwork?
“The 2022 Masterpiece Poppy Coin is a timeless token of Remembrance. Not only is this coin a poignant reminder of all those who have served and sacrificed, but it also helps the Royal British Legion continue to be there for today’s Armed Forces community, no matter what.”
Charles Byrne , Director General of the Royal British Legion
One of a Kind – Creating a Masterpiece
This year’s Masterpiece coin has been expertly designed by Beata Kulesza-Damaziak. Beata has a studio in Warsaw, Poland, designing sculptures, book covers and has produced many coin designs.
Beata’s design has been struck in high relief on 5oz Pure Silver blanks, with different heights of relief applied to give a real depth to the design.
Keen-eyed observers will see a map of the Falklands on the very bottom layer, with a total of 40 poppies poignantly sitting on top to mark the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War.
The largest and 40th poppy sits proudly in the middle of the coin. It’s that poppy that elevates the coin to status of “Masterpiece”.
Every single coin has had that poppy hand-painted by artist Adam Taylor, making each one unique.
Most colour on coins these days is printed using high-speed pad-printing machines or using modern UV printing techniques. Adam has used traditional model-painting techniques on the coins, which means each one has unique brush-strokes and subtle differences in the colours.
Adding acrylic paint to the high relief poppy gives it that iconic red colour and further enhances the coin design. The time, care and attention required on a project such as this, truly does make each one of the 350 a one-off.
Adam dedicated hour upon hour to these coins, adding the personal touches to make each one a true Masterpiece.
Secure your hand-painted, one of a kind RBL Poppy Masterpiece Coin here>>
Discover the secrets of Canada’s unexplained phenomena with the BRAND-NEW 1oz Silver coin!
There is nothing I love more than a good extraterrestrial story. And today, you can uncover what happened in Yukon with the Royal Canadian Mint’s brand-new 1oz Silver coin, depicting the remarkable Yukon Encounter!
Read on to find out what really happened that night, the coin’s exciting new technological features, and how you can be one of JUST 50 Westminster Collectors to own it…
The Yukon Encounter
On the cold, snowy night of December 11th 1996, thirty-one people were recorded to have seen a giant UFO in the Canadian territory of Yukon. Let’s take a look inside Chris Rutkowski and Geoff Dittman’s book which details the accounts of the witnesses’ experiences…
Two individuals described the sighting as a group of bright lights immersed in rectangular windows. Another two witnesses experienced a similar sighting just ten miles apart, describing the scene above the Klondike Highway as a “cluster of moving stars”.
Designing an EXTRATERRESTRIAL coin
Today, The Royal Canadian Mint are eager to bring this experience to coinage and continue their sell-out UFO-themed series. Struck from 1oz of .999 Silver with a stunning Proof finish, you can feel like you are truly a witness to this extraordinary sighting with Neil Hamelin’s imaginative design!
Black Light Technology
Your coin is the first in the series to buck the glow-in-in-the-dark trend and include brand-new black light technology! Housed in official Royal Canadian Mint packaging, a black flashlight will also be included to unlock your coin’s true potential.
When this black flashlight is shone onto the already impressive reverse design, it will activate the technology within the coin to reveal an even more colourful reimagining that only you can see! This is the key to unlocking the hidden secrets of the Canadian sky…
Will the SELL-OUT Series continue? JUST 50 Available
This Yukon Encounter 1oz Silver coin is the fifth in the Royal Canadian Mint’s UFO themed series. It follows its counterpart coins inspired by the Montréal Incident, the Clarenville Event and the Falcon Lake Incident.
What’s more, considering that all the previous UFO-themed coins had a mintage of 4,000 – 5,000 and ALL SOLD OUT, you can see how our small allocation won’t satisfy collector demand…
The previous four coins in the series included glow-in-the-dark technology, meaning that this BRAND-NEW black light feature will generate even more collecting buzz!