London.- He British musician John Lennon, component of The Beatles who was assassinated in 1980, will have a commemorative coin on the 85th anniversary of his birth, the Royal Mint, the institution that produces coins and banknotes in the United Kingdom.
The coin's design features a portrait of Lennon based on an image taken by Bob Gruen, a famed music industry photographer, on the rooftop of his penthouse in New York City.
He artist Henry Gray has been responsible for shaping this coin in which Lennon's name appears to the left of the portrait, while to the right the word 'Imagine' is shown, in reference to the artist's single and album that went on sale in 1971 and caused a sensation.
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"Lennon's portrait has been captured in meticulous detail and, in fitting tribute, will be released in the year the artist would have celebrated his 85th birthday," Rebecca Morgan, head of commemorative coins at the Royal Mint, said in a statement.
John Lennon thus joins the list of artists that the British institution has honored with commemorative coins and which includes other figures such as David Bowie, Shirley Bassey and Paul McCartney, who was his partner in The Beatles.
The coin will go on sale on March 17 for £18.50 (€22.05), will be available in a wide range of precious metals, and will be available exclusively at the Royal Mint.
